The Social Psychology of Disability

Abstract

The social world affects the experiences of people with spinal cord injuries, amputations, brain injuries, mental illness, multiple sclerosis, and other disabilities now as it did almost 60 years ago. The social psychology of disability involves social perception, judgment, affect, and behavior on the part of the perceiver and the perceived. Social psychological processes are undeniable and influential, impinging on people with disabilities, individuals receiving rehabilitative services, and nondisabled caregivers and casual observers. The social-clinical interface between social psychology and rehabilitation psychology promotes research focused on two main areas: attitudes toward people with disabilities and the processes of coping with disability. A third area, the normative experience of disability, is gradually emerging. I introduce the scope of each area and highlight representative research. Rehabilitation psychologists rely on particular psychosocial concepts for understanding and characterizing the experience of individuals with disabilities. These concepts include: the somatopsychological relation, the insider-outsider distinction, individuation and labeling, existing or potential assets, and well-being. Opportunities abound for researchers interested in exploring the social psychology of disability. A well-established, person-first foundation of scholarship can be extended in new directions. Beyond the issues and areas already reviewed in this chapter, two other promising avenues for research are introduced: exploring social-cognitive opportunities and a need to adopt broader models for theory and practice.