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Download the report - The Healing Foundation

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STAGE ONE<br />

(Inputs/Predisposing<br />

Factors)<br />

Demographics<br />

Parental influence<br />

Peer influence<br />

Societal and Media<br />

Influence<br />

Cause of<br />

Disfigurement<br />

STAGE TWO INTERVENING<br />

COGNITIVE PROCESSES<br />

Appearance Schema<br />

Salience<br />

Valence<br />

Perceived<br />

Noticeability<br />

Ideals<br />

Self<br />

Cultural<br />

Social Comparison Processes<br />

Dispositional Style<br />

Coping Strategies<br />

Perceptions of Social Support<br />

Figure 1: Working framework of adjustment to disfiguring conditions<br />

STAGE THREE<br />

(Outcomes)<br />

Social Anxiety<br />

Social avoidance /<br />

isolation<br />

Psychological<br />

wellbeing<br />

Within this framework, <strong>the</strong> process of adjustment to visible differences is conceptualised as<br />

having three facets. <strong>The</strong> first is <strong>the</strong> social and psychological context comprised of predisposing<br />

factors such as demographic characteristics, socio-cultural setting, and family environment.<br />

While all of <strong>the</strong>se factors play a part in adjustment and an understanding of <strong>the</strong>ir influence is<br />

important, <strong>the</strong>ir relative impermeability may make <strong>the</strong>m less amenable to intervention. <strong>The</strong><br />

current programme of research <strong>the</strong>refore acknowledges <strong>the</strong> presence and influence of <strong>the</strong>se<br />

factors, but maintains a predominant focus on cognitive and behavioural processes, which are<br />

more amenable to change through interventions.<br />

<strong>The</strong> second facet of <strong>the</strong> model comprises intervening cognitive processes, which are believed to<br />

contribute to <strong>the</strong> differentiation between good and poor adjusters. We believe that <strong>the</strong>se are<br />

best understood from a social cognition perspective, with particular reference to <strong>the</strong> functioning<br />

of <strong>the</strong> self-concept. From this viewpoint, individuals can be conceptualised as having a<br />

cognitive representation of <strong>the</strong>mselves, which includes a representation of appearance. <strong>The</strong><br />

appearance aspect of <strong>the</strong> self-representation can be more or less salient at any time, and thus<br />

play a greater or lesser part in <strong>the</strong> working self-concept (Higgins & Brendl, 1995). As a result of<br />

this, <strong>the</strong>re will be variation in <strong>the</strong> extent to which a person’s perception of <strong>the</strong>ir own appearance<br />

is involved in attending to and appraising activity in <strong>the</strong> social environment and in subsequent<br />

memories of past experiences (Moss & Carr, 2004 Bargh, Lombardi & Higgins, 1988). In<br />

addition to <strong>the</strong> salience of appearance within <strong>the</strong> self-concept, <strong>the</strong>re can also be a variation in<br />

<strong>the</strong> evaluative valence of <strong>the</strong> appearance (i.e. <strong>the</strong> way a person looks can be seen by that<br />

person in a positive or negative light (Sarwer & Crerand, 2004)). Appearance can also be<br />

judged by individuals as being closer to, or fur<strong>the</strong>r from <strong>the</strong>ir internalised cultural ideals (Altabe<br />

& Thompson, 1996). When appearance is generally more salient, negatively valenced, and<br />

fur<strong>the</strong>r from ideals, adjustment will be poorer. Some of <strong>the</strong> important ways in which appearance<br />

can be made more salient and prone to negative evaluation include social comparison<br />

processes (Green & Sedikides, 2001) and positive or negative experiences of social<br />

15

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