Dedicated to the memory of Kurt Lewin AT PARTICULAR times in the history of science, particular problems become ripe for investigation. A precipitating event brings them to the attention of a single person and sometimes to that of several at the same time. It is therefore understandable that during World War II the need was felt to investigate the problems of social-psychological rehabilitation of the physically handicapped and that someone should look for a place and the means to set up a research project that would try to solve some of these problems.
In exploring the social-psychological problems of the visibly injured, one sees the constant striving of the injured person to combat what he considers the negative implications of his injury. Among these he counts a variety of attitudes and behaviors which the non-injured direct toward him; e.g., they display unwarranted pity, and treat him as an object of curiosity. In general, the injured feels that as a person he is set apart from people at large. What he demands above all is social acceptance.The gravity of the problem as seen by injured people is epitomized in the statement of one amputee:"You can't write an article about it. It can be said in one sentence-There is no acceptance."Although this is an extreme instance, it reflects in nature, if not in degree, the general problem as seen by the injured man.When he demands social acceptance the injured may ask the non-injured to assess concomitants of the injury in a practical way, and to behave accordingly. Thus, the non-injured are to avoid exaggeration and to eliminate misconceptions regarding the limitations set by the injury.On the basis of interviews3 with 1 2 5 visibly injured persons4 we can
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