Group-self identification and physical handicap: implication for patient support groups.
Relationships between attitudes toward self and attitudes toward handicapped persons based on semantic differentials and social distance measures for one nonhandicapped and five handicapped subsamples (N = 142) are presented. Among persons characterized by amputation, spinal cord injury, or stroke, over one third of the variation in evaluation of self was accounted for by evaluation of persons with handicaps like one's own. Among persons characterized by arthritis or emotional disturbance and among the nonhandicapped, evaluation of self was most closely related to evaluation for the average person. These results indicate strong group identification on the part of persons with more visible handicaps and a tendency toward dissociation on the part of those with less visible handicaps. The finding of high levels of identification within three of the five conditions studied suggests that group techniques may be beneficial in dealing with stigma and quality-of-life issues; the finding of dissociation among persons with other conditions suggests that such techniques should be employed with caution.
D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000523:psychology; D001168:Arthritis / Q000523:psychology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012649:Self Concept; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012919:Social Behavior; D012933:Social Identification; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000523:psychology