This qualitative narrative research study explored how 8 young people with intellectual disability construct and negotiate their identities using Life Story Work methodology. The study design involved narrative analysis of life stories, though specific setting, follow-up duration, and comparator were not reported. The population consisted of young individuals with intellectual disability, with no quantitative outcomes or effect measures collected.
Main findings from the narrative analysis revealed that participants primarily defined themselves through roles, relationships, interests, values, and personal characteristics rather than through diagnostic labels. Disability emerged as a contextual dimension of identity rather than its defining core. Narratives revealed ongoing negotiations between self-perception and externally imposed meanings of disability, particularly in relation to social stigma and others' attitudes. Family relationships and a strong sense of belonging played a central role in fostering positive identity construction, and life stories documented identity as a dynamic and evolving process shaped by key life transitions.
Safety and tolerability data were not reported in this qualitative study. Key limitations include the small sample size of 8 participants, the descriptive and exploratory nature of the findings, and the absence of quantitative measures or causal inferences. The study highlights the value of life stories as spaces for identity construction and resistance to deficit-oriented disability discourses, underscoring the potential of inclusive, narrative methodologies for advancing more person-centered and socially just understandings of identity. However, clinicians should interpret these findings as preliminary insights rather than definitive evidence due to the study's qualitative design and limited generalizability.
How do young people with intellectual disability see themselves? A small, qualitative study asked eight individuals to share their life stories. The researchers used a method called Life Story Work to explore identity. The stories revealed something powerful: these young people defined themselves as sons, daughters, friends, and individuals with interests and values. Their intellectual disability was a part of their story, but it wasn't the main character. Instead, it was a dimension of their identity that showed up in certain contexts, like when facing social stigma or other people's attitudes. The narratives showed an ongoing negotiation between how they saw themselves and how the world sometimes saw them. Family relationships and a strong sense of belonging were central to building a positive sense of self. The study describes identity as a dynamic process, shaped by life's transitions. It's important to note this was a small, exploratory study with only eight participants. The findings are descriptive and can't be generalized to everyone. They show association, not cause. But they highlight the value of listening to personal stories to understand identity from the inside out, rather than relying on labels from the outside.
What this means for you: Identity is built on relationships and values, not a diagnosis.
View Original Abstract ↓
This study explores how young people with intellectual disability (ID) construct and negotiate their identities through life stories, adopting a narrative perspective that foregrounds individuals’ own voices and lived experiences. Using a qualitative narrative research design grounded in Life Story Work (LSW), data were generated with eight individuals with ID through in-depth interviews, participant observation, photographs, and personal documents. An integrated analytic approach combining thematic and narrative analysis was applied to identify transversal patterns across narratives while preserving the internal coherence and temporal structure of each individual life story. Findings show that participants primarily defined themselves through roles, relationships, interests, values, and personal characteristics rather than through diagnostic labels, with disability emerging as a contextual dimension of identity rather than its defining core. At the same time, narratives revealed ongoing negotiations between self-perception and externally imposed meanings of disability, particularly in relation to social stigma and others’ attitudes. Family relationships and a strong sense of belonging played a central role in fostering positive identity construction, while life stories documented identity as a dynamic and evolving process shaped by key life transitions. Overall, the study highlights the value of life stories as spaces for identity construction and resistance to deficit-oriented disability discourses, underscoring the potential of inclusive, narrative methodologies for advancing more person-centered and socially just understandings of identity.
