Abstract
Chronically ill adolescents experience an altered development of self because of the unique identities that arise through the course of their illness. This study focused on adolescents with Crohn's Disease, a chronic illness mainly affecting the immune and digestive systems, and their movement through four identity levels (supernormal, restored, contingent personal, and salvaged) as presented by Cathy Charmas (1987). My sample was obtained from a population of fourteen adolescents with Chron's Disease. The adolescents completed a survey which questioned their attitudes about selected school activities and their illness. Through this study determined behaviors during the chronically ill child's school experiences which correlate with these identity levels. Broader social implications of deviance and labeling in illness are examined through the perspective of Merton's Anomie Theory.
Advisor
Fitz Gibbon, Heather
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Stennett, Janis, "The Unique Development of Identity in Chronically Ill Adolescents: the Relationship of Identity and School Experience" (1995). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 6304.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/6304
Publication Date
1995
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 1995 Janis Stennett