Acceptance of Physical Disability and Attitudes toward Personal Appearance

Appearance management was explored as a social-psychological variable in the lives of persons with physical disabilities. The data were derived from a nationwide mail survey of 322 physically disabled university students. The overall hypothesis of a relationship between disability acceptance and attitudes toward personal appearance received little support. However, single dimensions of each concept were modestly related. A tendency to regard appearance management as a form of compensation was associated with a tendency to view one's physical disability as a central or salient aspect of personal identity. The data suggest that appearance management is regarded by some persons as a potential means for ameliorating the social impact of a physical disability, but is realistically expected to serve only a secondary role in impression formation.