Identity integration in people with acquired disabilities: A qualitative study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative investigation focused on identity integration in a sample of individuals who acquired physical disabilities in adulthood. It also argues for the importance and ethics of these methods in the broader field of scholarship on personality change following adversity. METHOD: Thirteen adults participated in the study. Participants engaged in an expanded Life Story Interview wherein they narrated the story of their life, including a section devoted to their story of acquiring a physical disability. In addition, participants completed questionnaires concerning their psychological well-being and maturity. RESULTS: We identified two dimensions of narrative themes participants used in grappling with identity integration: one represented active processing of one's life experiences and the other represented the extent to which participants described their identity as wholly transformed by the experience of acquiring a disability. When overlaid, these dimensions yielded four narrative strategies titled: Adapters, Wanderers, Drifters, and Resisters. We also observed that Adapters seemed to have better psychological well-being and maturity than the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers a foundation for future scholarship on identity among people with disabilities. It also describes the contexts in which retrospective, qualitative methods are especially appropriate for research on personality change following adversity.

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