A number of psychological variables bearing on the process of adjustment to acquired visual loss are examined conceptually and empirically in an attempt to clarify their relationships and to develop a testable model of adjustment which might enable rehabilitation specialists to identify clients with special problems, evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs, and determine the role of psychological factors in the context of skill acquisition. The model presented offers an alternative to existing psychodynamic models in that it is in principle a testable one. Preliminary analysis of data has resulted in the devising of a questionnaire tentatively called the Nottingham Adjustment Scale, which practitioners and researchers are encouraged to use.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AbramsonL.Y., SeligmanM.E.P., & TeasdaleJ. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87, 49–74.
2.
AbramsonL.Y., MetalskyG.I., & AlloyL.B. (1987). The hopelessness theory of depression: Does the research test the theory? In AbramsonL.Y. (Ed.), Social cognition and clinical psychology: A synthesis.New York: Guildford.
3.
AbramsonL.Y., MetalskyG., & AlloyL. (1989). Hopelessness depression: A theory-based sub-type of depression.Psychological Review, 96, 358–372.
4.
AntonakR.F. (1980). Psychometric analysis of the Attitudes to Disabled Persons Scale, Form O.Rehabilitation Counselling Bulletin, 16, 160–176.
5.
BanduraA. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioural change.Psychological Review, 84, 191–215.
6.
BanduraA. (1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency.American Psychologist, 37, 122–147.
7.
BugenL.A. (1977). Human grief: A model for prediction and intervention.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 47, 196–206.
8.
CarrollT.J. (1961). Blindness; What it is, what it does and how to live with it.Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
9.
CatellR.B. (1978). Scientific use of factor analysis in behavioural and life sciences.New York: Plenum Press.
10.
CleggE. (1988). Grief and loss in elderly people in a psychiatric setting. In ChigierE. (Ed.), First International Symposium on grief and bereavement: Vol. 1. Psychodynamics of grief and bereavement.Tel Aviv: Freund.
11.
CoopersmithS. (1967). The anatecedents of self-esteem.San Francisco: Freeman.
12.
CronbachL.J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests.Psychometrica, 16, 297–344.
13.
CutronaC.E., RussellD., & JonesR.D. (1984). Cross-situational consistency in causal attributions: Does attributional style exist?Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 47, 1043–1058.
14.
DelafieldG.L. (1974). The effects of guide dog training on some aspects of adjustment in blind people. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Nottingham.
15.
DelafieldG.L. (1976). Adjustment to blindness.New Outlook for the Blind, 70, 64–68.
DoddsA.G. (1988). Mobility training for visually handicapped people: A person-centered approach.Sydney & London: Croom Helm.
18.
DoddsA.G. (1989). Motivation reconsidered: The importance of self-efficacy in rehabilitation.British Journal of Visual Impairment, VII, 11–15.
19.
EmersonD.L. (1981). Facing loss of vision: The response of adults to visual impairment.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 75, 41–45.
20.
FigueridoJ.M., & FrankJ.D. (1982). Subjective incompetence: The clinical hallmark of demoralisation.Comprehensive Psychiatry, 23, 353–363.
21.
FitzgeraldR.G. (1970). Reactions to blindness: An exploratory study of adults with recent loss of sight.Archives of General Psychiatry, 22, 370–379.
22.
GoffmanE. (1963). Stigma, notes on the management of spoiled identity.Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
23.
GoldbergD. (1981). The General Health Questionnaire.England: NFER-Nelson Publishing Company Ltd.
24.
HowarthC.I. (1989). Psychotherapy: Who benefits?The Psychologist, 2, 149–152.
25.
IndeK. (1988). Why low vision rehabilitation should be given higher priorities: The complexity of the problem.British Journal of Visual Impairment, VI, 15–17.
26.
LefcourtM. (1981). Research with the locus of control construct: Vol. 1. Assessment methods.New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, San Francisco: Academic Press.
27.
LinkowskiD.C. (1967). A study of the relationship between acceptance of disability and response to rehabilitation. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo.
28.
LinkowskiD.C. (1971). A scale to measure acceptance of disability.Rehabilitation Counselling Bulletin, 14, 236–244.
29.
LinkowskiD.C., & DunnM.A. (1974). Self-concept and acceptance of disability.Rehabilitation Counselling Bulletin, 17, 28–32.
30.
LinkowskiD.C. (1987). The acceptance of disability scale. Advances in Psychosocial Rehabilitation: A prepublication report on current rehabilitation at the George Washington University Medical Centre.
31.
MazzulaJ.R. (1981). The relationship between locus of control expectancy and acceptance of acquired traumatic spinal cord injury. Unpublished master's thesis, East Carolina UniversityGreenville.
32.
McKennelA. (1970). Attitude measurement: Use of coefficient alpha with cluster or factor analysis.Sociology, 4, 227–245.
33.
ParkesC.M. (1972). Bereavement studies of grief in adult life.London: Tavistock.
34.
PartridgeC., & JohnsonM. (1989). Perceived control of recovery from physical disability: Measurement and prediction.British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 28, 53–59.
35.
PetersonC., SemmelA., von BayerC., AbramsonL.Y., MetalskyG.I., & SeligmannM.E.P. (1982). The attributional style questionnaire.Cognitive Therapy & Research, 6, 287–300.
36.
RosenbergM. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image.New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
37.
RotterJ.B. (1966). Generalised expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement.Psychological Monographs, 80, 609.
38.
SeligmanM.E.P. (1975). Helplessness: On depression, development and death.San Francisco: Freedman.
39.
ShererM., MadduxJ.E., MercadanteB., Prentice-DunnS., JacobsB., & RogersR.W. (1982). The self-efficacy scale: Construction and validation.Psychological Reports, 51, 663–671.
40.
SchunkD.H. (1984). Self-efficacy perspective on achievement behavior.Educational Psychologist, 19, 48–58.
41.
StotlandE., & CanonL.K. (1972). Social psychology: A cognitive approach.Philadelphia: Saunders.
42.
TuttleD.W. (1984). Self-esteem and adjusting with blindness.Springfield, Illinois: Thomas.
43.
WeinerB. (1979). A theory of motivation for some classroom experiences.Journal of Educational Psychology, 71, 3–25.
44.
WelshR.L. (1980). Psychological dimensions. In WelshR.L., & BlaschB.B. (Eds.), Foundations of orientation and mobility.New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
45.
YukerH., BlockJ., & CampbellW. (1960). A scale to measure attitudes toward disabled persons. Human Resources Study No. 5, Albertson, NY: Human Resources Foundation.
