In the theoretical section, I focus on questions of identity formation, the conflicts between "who I am," who I want to be for others, and how others perceive me, as well as the tension between expectations and everyday reality. I highlight adolescence as a period where intense questioning of one’s self and social positioning begins. In this context, I focus on the traumatic experience of physical disability and the associated processes of stigmatization, the development of a stigmatized identity, and coping with and managing stigma in social interactions. I thus place emphasis on the question of how a damaged, incomplete body influences the formation of a damaged identity and the strategies for coping with cultural trauma, which arises as a result of societal perceptions of disability, and the significance of the moral career in the development of a sense of belonging. I also address the dominant beauty ideals that define Western culture and describe the body as a social phenomenon, exploring how the meaning of the body is socially constructed. The empirical section is based on an in-depth interview with a person who lost a leg. Based on her life story, I will conduct an analysis of the interview, comparing my research with theoretical assumptions, followed by a conclusion.
|
