Attachment and individuation of deaf/hard-of-hearing and hearing young adults.
This study examined differences between deaf/hard-of-hearing (D/HH) and hearing persons with regard to two interrelated and continuous developmental processes: attachment (Bowlby, 1969) and individuation (Mahler, 1963). The study also examined intergroup differences in two personal variables assumed to be influenced by these processes: self-esteem and well-being. Participants comprised 38 D/HH and 42 hearing persons aged 18 to 35 years from middle and upper-middle socioeconomic classes. All the D/HH participants had graduated from mainstreamed educational programs. Findings showed that D/HH participants expressed more fear of attachment and more fear of individuation than did hearing participants. D/HH participants also revealed a lower self-esteem and lower level of well-being compared to hearing participants. Higher fear of attachment correlated with lower levels of self-esteem and well-being. Results supported the theorized relationships between attachment and individuation processes and between these two processes and personality characteristics such as self-esteem and well-being.
Weisel
Amatzia
A
School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978 Israel. weisel@post.tau.ac.il
Kamara
Ahiya
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007207:Individuation; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010553:Personality Development; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires