Deafness: Its Effect on Self-Concept, Social Adjustment and Personality

Man’s knowledge of himself and the world around him comes through the senses. When one of these sensory channels is impaired, his experiences are in some way altered. The extent to which experience is altered depends on many variables, such as the type and degree of impairment, the age of the individual and his environment. With deafness comes not only this modification of perception, but also an Interference with the entire function of communication. The congenitally deaf child is faced with the task of acquiring language without hearing. He is isolated both from his environment and from the persons in his environment. His hearing loss deprives him of the monitoring function of audition. Hearing supplies Information concerning the status and fluctuations of the environment. Deafness also makes it difficult for the Individual to compare his feelings and attitudes with those of others. Myklebust regards this as a fundamental criterion for maintaining emotional stability. He says that most deaf people establish monitoring through residual sensory capacities, particularly through vision and taction. Thia deprivation and its resulting isolation expose the child to various stresses and frustrations in his attempts to communicate with others and to fulfill the demands and expectations of society while, at the same time, attending to his own inner needs and desires