Therapeutic Implications for Adolescent Deaf Identity and Self-Concept

This study explored the interrelationship between Deaf identity and self-concept. Very little research has explored Deaf identity and none has explored how perceptions of fit with the Deaf culture and Hearing culture influence self-concept. Conceptually, this study looks at cultural identification as falling along two dimensions-identification with the Deaf culture and identification with the Hearing (majority) culture, resulting in four categorical descriptorsculturally hearing, marginal, immersed, and bicultural. It was hypothesized that those who identify with both the hearing and Deaf culture (bicultural individuals) would have the best self-concept while those who identified as marginal would have the worst self-concept. The participants consisted of 46 students enrolled in a transitional program for the deaf and deaf and hard of hearing university students. Results supported the hypotheses (bicultural individuals had the highest self-concept and marginal individuals had the lowest). Additional tentative and exploratory hypotheses are also discussed. Clinical implications for family therapists of this research are presented.