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 />
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