Społeczeństwo wobec osób niepełnosprawnych - postawy i ich determinanty

Abstract

There are various social attitudes towards disabled people. These attitudes are expressed through all their components: cognitive (knowledge and believes related to disabled people), emotional (emotional judgements) and behavioural. These attitudes are often incoherent and subject to changes. Verbal declarations are often determined by social norms and conventions and are a result of fear of negative social assessment. The real attitudes beneath such declarations are often negative or even hostile. Social attitudes towards disabled people are conditioned by many variables. The factors determining social attitudes towards disabled people, that are considered to be important are related to development of disabled persons' personality (self-evaluation and self-worth), psychological properties of able-bodied people (perception of disability, features of personality, professional experience), and cultural factors. The article presents a thorough analysis of results of research dedicated to the factors conditioning attitudes towards disabled people and the possibility of their modification.