The Phenomenon of Otherness in the Self-consciousness of Adolescents with Mild Mental Retardation
Introduction. This paper describes the phenomenon of otherness in the self-consciousness of adolescents with mental retardation and notes its qualitative originality. Otherness is an immanently set characteristic of a person and a way of existence of a subject. In adolescence, this way of existence begins to become reflexive and aware of. Materials and methods. The research involved an interview, observation, a phenomenological method, and content analysis. It also used a modified version of the Dembo-Rubinstein technique for the study of self-evaluation, a modified version of the age and gender identification technique, and the techniques “It’s about me”, “Five good selves”, “Five bad selves”, and “Finish the sentence”. The techniques used to study the social self include “Beads”, “Finish the sentence”, “Learn about yourself”, “Ladder”, and “Situation”. The results of the study. In adolescents with mild mental retardation, the “I - You (peer)” opposition is associated with violation of the boundaries of personal space and intimacy. The “I - We” opposition is implemented by shifting personal boundaries in the interests of a group, especially during the first attempts to join it. The “I - You (non-peer)” opposition is associated with violation of the boundaries of subordination in interpersonal and group relations. The “We - They” opposition at the level of group otherness is implemented through the possibility of “uniting against someone who is not like us”. The ”I - They” opposition on the part of the team may imply bullying, rejection, or deliberate creation of the role of a ”whipping boy“ or outsider in the group.