Reframing Narratives: the Role of Storytelling in Resisting Stigma and Shaping Positive Identities Among Active Drug Dealers

This study explores how PWSD construct and promote positive identities through narratives, despite the negative connotations often associated with their illicit behavior. Drawing from narrative criminology, which highlights the importance of storytelling in assigning meaning to life events, this research investigates how PWSD resist the stigmatized “drug dealer” identity imposed by society. While prior research has focused on how PWSD maintain positive identities within the confines of their role as dealers, this study extends the literature by examining how they construct alternative, more favorable identities. These identities include those as friends, businesspeople, and risk managers. By distancing themselves from negative aspects of drug dealing, these individuals reframe their actions as positive and mitigate feelings of guilt and shame associated with stigmatized behavior. Based on interviews with 33 active drug dealers from St. Louis, Missouri, this study reveals that participants frequently acknowledged the negative societal view of “drug dealers” yet actively resisted this label by emphasizing other aspects of their identities. The findings contribute to our understanding of how PWSD neutralize the stigma of their behavior, align with more positive identities, and make decisions based on these constructed selves. By offering new insights into the dynamics of identity construction, this research adds nuance to deterrence and neutralization theories, demonstrating how narratives are used not only to justify behavior but also to navigate complex social judgements.