How People with Intellectual Disabilities View Their Social Identity: A Review of the Literature

Objectives: This review aims to show how people who are categorized as having intellectual disabilities view their social identity, and the impact that this identity has on them. It is felt that research in this area gives valuable insights that are directly applicable to, and raise important questions about, clinical work with people with intellectual disabilities. Methods: The diagnostic criteria for and the process of gaining the identity of intellectual disabilities are considered. The literature on stigma and social identity is reviewed and methodological difficulties within these studies are highlighted. Results: It is argued that having intellectual disabilities is a powerful and stigmatizing identity. There is a consistent finding in the literature that many people with intellectual disabilities appear unaware of this identity. The possible reasons put forward for this finding are considered, and the clinical implications of the studies reviewed are discussed. Conclusions: The few studies that have been undertaken offer useful insights into the effects that having an identity of intellectual disabilities has on an individual. It is argued that further research is needed and that this will be particularly applicable to intellectual disabilities services, where many questions concerning the possible impact of an intellectual disabilities identity remain unanswered.