Bayer O. - Synopsis of foreign literature on the matter of discrimination of people with disability

Contact: Bayer Oxana, PhD of psychology, associate professor of department of educational and developmental psychology in Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, Dnipro, Ukraine. Academic interests: qualitative methods in psychology, resources of coping with social repression and discrimination.

The problem of discrimination of the disabled is still of current interest. Social contructivist view on the concept of disability is presented in the paper. According to the latter, the society itself is built in such a way that it forces people with some «non-normative» characteristics of the body or health feel extra or excluded. Being disabled appears to occupy some intermediate place between being healthy and sick, and this ambiguity stays with the disabled for all their life. Psychological analysis of the origins and reasons of discrinitation of the disabled is offered. In particular, a narcissistic fear of the healthy to lose control over their health and lives that may be expressed in the form pity towards the disabled is analyzed. When drawing attention to the resilience of the disabled researchers run a risk of putting the blame on them for all their misfortune as for being «not resilient enough». Forms and manifestations of discrimination in historic and current contexts are described. Special emphasis is given on the psychological outcome of discrimination that shows itself in negative affect and long-lasting negative selfsensation. Ways and strategies of coping with individual and social psychological consequences of discrimination are highlighted together with resources assisting on this way. Reactive and proactive strategies of stigma management are described. The characteristics of a disabled person's identity including admission of disability, self-worth, relationship with the community, and finding sense typical of those who are successful in coping with disabling social reality are presented. The work is largely based on getting more and more popular qualitative research paradigm in psychology.

Key words: diabled person, discrimination, stigmatization, coping resources, strategies of stigma management, identity