Abstract
Experiences in multi-cultural rehabilitation settings involving individuals with disability (patients' culture) and those without disability (rehab professionals' culture) can be a great source of learning for both of them. The moods and emotions felt by patients often call for modification of approach and strategies using different interventions (like leisure and recreational activities) which leads to novel insights and experiences by the patients and the professionals alike. Therefore, the learning process as witnessed in rehabilitation is a continuous phenomenon for all those involved and has been explored in this chapter from perspective of social psychology using concepts of social cognitive theory and social identity theory. The chapter illustrates the above through a real clinical scenario and the consequent learning points that were taken back from the experience by the author, her rehab team, and the patients with a disability as a cohort.
TopBackground
Disability
Disability has become a significant issue worldwide because of the multifaceted impact it has. It affects an individual in every sphere of his/her life (i.e., physically, mentally, emotionally, cognitively, spiritually). Moreover, the impact of disability does not remain limited to the individual, but also affects the individual’s family and caregivers and, ultimately, the community and society as a whole (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020a).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Observational Learning: It is a type of learning in which individuals acquire a new skill and behavior by observing and imitating the acts of others. It is known as modeling and does not involve any direct reinforcements.
Disability Identity: It is defined as the extent to which a person has integrated one's disability into the self-concept in a positive and favorable way.
Self-Efficacy: It refers to an individual’s beliefs regarding one's capabilities of executing behavior as required for completing tasks or goals.
Social Identity Theory: This theory indicates identification of an individual with a social group in a society. The theory helps in identifying relational self of how an individual relates to the others by the virtue of belonging to a particular social group in the community.
Leisure: It is defined as a task that stimulates the mind and body of an individual positively and enjoyably, rejuvenating the individual. It differs from person to person and can involve in-door and out-door tasks. In recent times, it has been used for therapeutic purposes.
Social Cognitive Theory: A model proposed by Albert Bandura to study the functioning or behavior in humans as reciprocal, interdependent constructs of personal factors, environment, and behavior.