Redefining Disability, Re-imagining the Self: Disability Identification Predicts Self-esteem and Strategic Responses to Stigma

Creatively Re-Defining Fat: Identification Predicts Strategic Responses to Stigma, Ingroup Attitudes, and Well-Being

“…Finally, fat identification was a positive predictor of psychological well-being among the women who participated in our survey (Hypothesis 4). These findings suggest that positive social identification may play the same role for fat people as for others who are stigmatized because of disability, minority race, and other socially devalued group memberships (e.g., Nario-Redmond et al, 2012). Additional findings included a unique association between perceived childhood weight status and decreased preference for affiliation with other fat women.…”

“…Engaging in socially creative group affirmation strategies that question predominant meanings of "fat" as a category may carry benefits for the self beyond those that accrue from simply endorsing a new social identity. Studies of disability identity are beginning to suggest that creative re-definition of disability as consistent with strength, in addition to Downloaded by [University of Western Ontario] at 08:48 08 February 2015 claiming identity and affiliating within clear ingroup boundaries, may be necessary for maintaining a positive and beneficial sense of self (Nario-Redmond et al, 2012). Our results analogously suggest that creative re-definition of fat as consistent with beauty and health in addition to claiming this identity and affiliating within a clearly demarked group may be associated with improved well-being for fat people.…”

“…People who are highly identified as members of their group report higher commitment to that group, see themselves as more similar to other members and express less desire to "defect" to higher-status groups compared to those who are not highly identified (Echebarria-Echabe, 2009). Nario-Redmond, Noel, andFern (2012) found that higher identification with the disability community predicted less self-reported use of individual change strategies, such as seeking medical intervention to attempt elimination of a disability, and greater reported use of social change and social creativity strategies. Importantly, these associations between social identification and strategy use were significant even after controlling for permeability of group boundaries (i.e., visibility of and proportion of lifetime with a disability).…”

“…The self-protective function of high ingroup identification has been supported in studies among women (Schmitt, Branscombe, Kobrynowicz, & Owen, 2002), ethnic and sexual minority groups (Branscombe, Schmitt, & Harvey, 1999;Frable, Platt, & Hoey, 1998), older adults (Garstka, Schmitt, Branscombe, & Hummert, 2004), and people with mental and physical disabilities (Nario-Redmond et al, 2012). Furthermore, studies have found that collective coping strategies focused on challenging social stigma (i.e., through creative affirmation or working for political change) are more strongly associated with psychological well-being than individual change strategies among several low status groups including ethnic minorities (Outten, Schmitt, Garcia, & Branscombe, 2009) and people with disabilities (Nario-Redmond et al, 2012).…”

Cochlear Implantation, Enhancements, Transhumanism and Posthumanism: Some Human Questions

“…Cochlear implants for deaf children can be interpreted as an example of protecting the self from social pressures and negative characterizations of disability as impairment, by addressing the boundary between 'nondisabled' and 'disabled' through direct medical intervention to eliminate impairments, thus evading disability (Nario-Redmond et al 2013). …”