Identity integration in people with acquired disabilities: A qualitative study

Adler, Jonathan M.; Lakmazaheri, Ava; O'Brien, Eamon; Palmer, Alison; Reid, Micah; Tawes, Elizabeth

doi:10.1111/jopy.12533

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 106 publications

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“…Examining relationships between people's reports on longitudinal measures and their subjective experiences will also continue to be important. In this regard, going beyond retrospective self-measures to document the narratives people endorse about the consequences of adversity may be especially valuable (e.g., Adler et al, 2021;Blackie et al, 2020); in the case of openness, rich narrative data may help illuminate subjective ways in which people make meaning from life events, and believe that adversity may have made them more open to new ideas and information even if this is not corroborated by longitudinal and/or behavioral measures (Roepke et al, 2014).…”

Section: Strengths and Limitations Of The Present Study And Future Di...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Openness to experience is stable following adversity: A case-control longitudinal investigation

Forgeard

Roepke²,

Atlas

et al. 2022

Eur J Pers

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Although many people retrospectively report feeling more open-minded after experiencing highly stressful events, relevant longitudinal studies are scarce and have yielded contradictory findings. The present study used a 12-month longitudinal case-control design to test whether growth in openness (assessed every 4 months using multiple methods) occurs following major stressors, and whether changes relate to clinical symptoms of depression and/or posttraumatic stress. To do so, we compared participants (a) with a recent major stressor and with low symptoms ( n = 66), (b) without a recent major stressor and with low symptoms ( n = 76), and (c) with a recent major stressor and with significant symptoms ( n = 76). Overall, growth curve models showed that group membership was not associated with changes in openness over 12 months for most outcomes. Other variables (e.g., education) predicted changes in openness. This study provides robust evidence that openness to experience is mostly stable following major stressors.

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Section: Strengths and Limitations Of The Present Study And Future Di...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Openness to experience is stable following adversity: A case-control longitudinal investigation

Forgeard

Roepke²,

Atlas

et al. 2022

Eur J Pers

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“…The attainment of a positive disability identity has been found to be associated with high levels of psychological well-being (Chalk et al, 2020; Forber-Pratt et al, 2017) and lowered levels of depression and anxiety (Bogart, 2015). Recent qualitative work suggests that integration may be the most important factor in identity development among people with acquired disabilities (Adler et al, 2021; Adler, 2018).…”

Section: Why Is Identity Integration Important For Adults?mentioning

confidence: 99%

A conceptual review of identity integration across adulthood.

Mitchell¹,

Adler²,

Carlsson³

et al. 2021

Developmental Psychology

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Though Erikson recognized identity development as a lifelong project, most research on identity has focused on adolescents and emerging adults. Less is known about how the identity formed in adolescence is maintained and adapted across the adult life span. The purpose of the present paper is to provide a conceptual review and elaboration of Erikson's (1968) theory focused on identity integration, a construct that is particularly relevant to adult identity development. Identity integration describes the process of bringing together various aspects of one's self into a coherent whole, and the sense of selfcontinuity and wholeness that emerges as a result of these processes. Informed by the identity and life span development literatures, we present a conceptual framework that describes how identity integration is maintained across the adult life span, and how it is reestablished when changing life circumstances present threats to an individual's identity. These maintenance and reestablishment processes help to support adults' well-being and adaptation to major life transitions and stressful events. This conceptual framework is intended to facilitate research on identity integration in adulthood, a time of life that has been less often studied in the identity literature but that can involve identity dynamics that are just as critical as those in adolescence.

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“…As we saw above, most research on disability identity development focuses on adult experiences. However, several studies adopted a qualitative narrative based approach to highlight nuances about this developmental trajectory among disabled adults (Adler et al, 2021; Adler, 2018; Forber-Pratt & Zape, 2017; Mueller, 2021). Using this approach with adolescents, this enabled us to initially explore this understudied phenomenon and better understand how adolescents make meaning around and about their disability identity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring disability identity with adolescents.

Forber‐Pratt¹,

Minotti²,

Burdick³

et al. 2021

Rehabilitation Psychology

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Purpose/Objective: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore how adolescents conceptualize disability identity and what factors may influence adolescent disability identity development.Research Method/Design: These data were collected through semistructured in-depth interviews with 24 middle and high school adolescents with disabilities. The participants had a wide range of disabilities, including physical disabilities, learning disabilities, ADHD, Autism, and others. Analyses started with Hamilton's Rapid Assessment Process followed by identifying structural and in vivo codes using a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis tool to allow for multiple coders and memo writing across the research team. Results: The results indicate that adolescents are undergoing a heterogeneous and complex process to develop their disability identity. Additionally, the salience of the participants' disability identity often varied depending on the environmental context. Furthermore, social connections to peers with and without disabilities played an important role in the development of many participants' disability identities. Conclusions/Implications: These findings suggest that adolescents with disabilities are engaging in a multifaceted meaning-making process to develop a sense of disability identity. Rehabilitation Psychologists and other practitioners can support disabled adolescents by helping them to discuss and develop a positive disability identity. Furthermore, practitioners can help disabled adolescents successfully develop their disability identity in a variety of different settings and contexts. Impact and ImplicationsThis study empirically investigates adolescent disability identity development. Results suggest that disability identity is a salient identity for adolescents. Yet, disabled adolescents seem to still grapple with this identity, and it appears to be more salient in certain contexts and with certain types of peers than with others. Adolescents were excited to share their disability story, and by encouraging these conversations, this will help to make disability identity a valued form of diversity. Rehabilitation psychologists are well-positioned to engage in these conversations with disabled adolescents and to potentially be liaisons between the adolescent and their school psychology team. Furthermore, this work has important implications for providing a knowledge basis to allow for the future building of targeted interventions and therapeutic techniques to help support and positively impact the development of disability identity with adolescents.

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Identity integration in people with acquired disabilities: A qualitative study

Cited by 19 publications

References 106 publications

Openness to experience is stable following adversity: A case-control longitudinal investigation

Openness to experience is stable following adversity: A case-control longitudinal investigation

A conceptual review of identity integration across adulthood.

Exploring disability identity with adolescents.

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