Positive Psychological Concepts Of Hidden Disability

Hidden Transparency Disability is like a bruise on an apple; sometimes it is evident, sometimes it is hidden. Consider Claire Hovey; she has arthritis – a hidden disability affecting one’s joints. Claire used to think of “pain as a hurdle” (Hovey, 2015); thus when diagnosed, she expected to tackle pain “with grace and poise” (Hovey, 2015) managing it silently (Hovey, 2015). However, self-doubt and fictional comparison brought negative psychological effects (Hovey, 2015) and she soon realized that neither were beneficial for her daily rehabilitation (Hovey, 2015). In contrast, Robert Ward lives with learning disabilities and a speech impediment – also hidden. For him, there was no diagnostic point; instead the learning curve came as he realized

One treatment model seen in Claire and Robert’s rehabilitation is Vash’s Theory which consists of three stages: recognition of facts, acceptance of implications, and embracing the experience (Wesch, 2015). Claire realized early on that “managing...pain is a process that will continue for as long as you are in pain” (Hovey, 2015). She understood that harder days would cause bouts of depression but understood that it was “a natural side effect of relentless pain” (Hovey, 2015) and thereby came to recognize her new reality. She also accepted the implications of pain management via “breaking down activities into small chunks…[and]…pacing out activities” (Hovey, 2015) as well as “slowing down, allowing…breaks and treats…[and]…planning ahead for [the] day” (Hovey 2015). Finally, she found ways to embrace the experience including enjoying tea on breaks and creating an “emotional first-aid kit” (Hovey 2015) with treats for harder days. This allowed her to obtain positive psychological adjustment through short term goals and maintaining productivity. In contrast, Robert recognized the facts about his disabilities quickly however, he would not accept the implications. He was bitter and angry at God, refusing to understand why he was created different

An internal locus of control suggests that a person takes responsibility for their life whereas an external locus of control places the responsibility on outside factors – namely Chance and Powerful Others (Beck, 2010). Typically, an internal locus of control with disability more positively influences psychological adjustment (Wesch, 2015). Claire, for example, assumed an internal locus of control using her “three P’s” (Hovey, 2015) as a self-coping method. This positively influenced her psychological adjustment as she maintained higher self-esteem and daily productivity. Robert took a different approach and assumed an external or spiritual locus of control. This concept links faith and self-help offering four dimensions (CHIRr, n.d.). Robert’s stance falls under active spirituality as he believed that God was ultimately in control knew he had to take initiative (CHIRr, n.d.) to accomplishing great things (Ward, 2007). This contradicts Claire’s internal locus of control and opposes the idea that an external locus of control is associated with poorer psychological adjustment and prognoses (Beck, 2010). For Robert, recognizing that “God made [him] for a purpose” (Ward, 2007) and realizing that by accomplishing God’s purpose, he could accomplish something great (Ward, 2007) motivated him to achieve positive psychological