The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability

A range of case studies, drawing upon ethnomethodological and conversation analytic scholarship, reveals how persons categorized as intellectually disabled are actually defined through their interaction with care staff and other professionals. Intellectual disability is usually thought of as a form of internal, individual affliction, differing little from diabetes, paralysis or chronic illness. This study's application of discursive psychology to intellectual disability demonstrates that what is usually understood as being an individual problem is actually an interactional or social product.

Author: Mark Rapley
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 06/28/2004
Pages: 260
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.93lbs
Size: 8.94h x 5.98w x 0.66d
ISBN: 9780521005296

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2004 pg. 740

About the Author
Rapley, Mark: - Mark Rapley is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Murdoch University. His work applies discursive psychology to questions of power, in particular the interactional and rhetorical production of persons with intellectual disabilities, the 'mentally ill' and Aboriginal Australians. His most recent books are Quality of Life Research: A Critical Introduction (2003) and, with Susan Hansen and Alex McHoul, Beyond Help: A Consumer's Guide to Psychology (2003).

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