Whitbourne S K, Sherry M
University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Int J Aging Hum Dev. 1991;33(1):65-73. doi: 10.2190/LD3W-MC56-2GXU-WK4D.
This study was an exploratory investigation of identity and life-span perceptions in a sample of thirty-seven chronic mental patients, ranging from twenty-three to sixty-four years of age, using the "life drawing," a projective technique. Age differences were found in the adaptation of identity to the life experiences associated with mental illness. Individuals less than thirty years old were more likely to adopt a "patient identity"; in contrast, the over-forty years-old adapted to their illness through denial. These differences held regardless of psychiatric diagnosis, suggesting a process of identity adaptation more general than is implied in mental disorder diagnostic systems.
本研究采用投射技术“生命绘图”，对37名年龄在23岁至64岁之间的慢性精神病患者样本的身份认同和寿命认知进行了探索性调查。研究发现，在将身份认同与精神疾病相关的生活经历相适应方面存在年龄差异。30岁以下的个体更有可能接受“患者身份”；相比之下，40岁以上的人则通过否认来适应自己的疾病。无论精神科诊断如何，这些差异都存在，这表明身份认同适应过程比精神障碍诊断系统所暗示的更为普遍。
