Self-Awareness of a Personality with Psychophysical Defects: Empirical Survey of the Problem

Abstract

The article highlights the results of empirical study of psychological peculiarities of self-awareness of adolescents with certain psychophysical defects of the development. The research was carried out with the sample of participants, studying in inclusive classes of the educational rehabilitation center. The complicated character of psycho- and sociogenesis of such children has been defined, particularly in terms of self-acceptance, self-attitude, etc. It has been determined empirically that self-acceptance for the children with certain developmental disabilities is the most important, first of all, for self-assertive self-evaluation and advocacy of their psychophysical space among peers. Due to the interpretation of the factor analysis results, it was possible to distinguish the following four main factors which concentrated the content and functional essence of their self-awareness: aggressive self-acceptance, overconfident loneliness, neurotic acceptance of appearance, diffusiveness and anxiety of self-attitude. The high level of self-esteem is inherent to the subjects, which testifies the internal desire of children with psychophysical defects to be like all others-desirable, recepted, respected, etc. Adolescents with psychophysical defects of development try to represent themselves as confident, self-confident and passionate young people. Children  experience numerous disorders of self-acceptance, which are reinforced by representations about own psychophysical imperfections against the background of their peers, so separational demarcation is an attempt to be asserted at the level of intensifieded introspection and deep self-awareness. The examined adolescents are characterized by the high level of self-image and interpersonal anxiety, as well as self-confident loneliness, which acts as self-assertive, and, obviously, psychoprotective function. For adolescents with psychophysical defects, the acceptance of their appearance is especially significant, which testifies their desire to be in the general population trend of development – to build up the image of Self and the Self-concept. However, the awareness of own disability provokes anxiety, depressive and neurotic reactions, as evidenced by the high level of neuroticism and anxiety. The necessity to provide such children with revitalization assistance is stated.