Attachment and Individuation of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing and Hearing Young Adults

Abstract

This study examined differences between deaf/hardof-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.

An Analysis of Self-Concept in Students With Compensatory Education Needs for Developing a Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducational Program

“…Furthermore, compensatory education students' needs may emerge in situations involving disability, which affects the image pupils have of themselves. Recent research has revealed how adolescents with disabilities obtain significantly lower scores than those who do not deviate from the "norm" (Halder & Datta, 2012;López-Justicia et al, 2000;Polo & López-Justicia, 2012;Taleporos & McCabe, 2005;Weisel & Kamara, 2005). However, other authors report no differences in selfconcept between people with and without disabilities (Bolat et al, 2011;Garaigordobil & Bernarás, 2009) on one hand, and higher self-concept scores (Obiakor & Stile, 1990) on the other.…”

What We Can Learn From Hearing Parents of Deaf Children

“…Parental decisions have to be made, and often within a certain timeframe, such as the so-called 'window of opportunity' for language development (Pallier, 2007), although this 'critical period' hypothesis is debated in the neuroplasticity literature (Bates, 1999;Mundkur, 2005). Although one might anticipate that communication difficulties in hearing parentdeaf infant dyads would increase the risk of insecure attachment, the impact of hearing impairment on attachment remains unclear in the literature (Lederberg, 1993;Lederberg & Prezbindowski, 2000;Marschark, 1993;Weisel & Kamara, 2005).…”

Education, Employment, and Independent Living of Young Adults Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

“…With regard to defining selfesteem, Weisel and Kamara (2005) reviewed the available research literature and found that college students who were deaf and hard of hearing had lower self-esteem and a lower level of well-being than their hearing peers. The researchers' own investigation substantiated this finding: Students with more education exhibited less fear of forming boundaries with parents and of reaching autonomy.…”

“…In a study that investigated attachment and individualization of young adults who were deaf and hard of hearing, Weisel and Kamara (2005) found little relevant research. Sinkkonen (1994), reporting a thorough review of the literature on the topic, failed to uncover studies directly investigating independent living among individuals who were deaf and hard of hearing.…”