Publication Date

2015

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Manic-depressive persons-Psychology, Self-consciousness (Awareness), Identity (Psychology), Self psychology, Mixed methods research, Bipolar disorder, Mental illness, Identity, Sense of self

Abstract

This mixed-method thesis explores the impact of Identity, operationally defined as the framework from which individuals interact with the world, and on the lived experience and symptom management of bipolar disorder. I created an online survey for participants to use as my research tool, utilizing a standardized scale, the Sense of Self Scale (SOSS), in conjunction with my ow Likert scale items for the quantitative component, and open-ended questions for the qualitative component of the research. A positive correlation was found between self-identified symptom management and SOSS, showing that individuals with a higher sense-of-self score did have better management of symptoms from the disorder. I also conducted a thematic analysis of openended survey items in the research and explored various treatments for multiple variables for my research. Clinical implications of this research support fostering a sense of self and strengthening identity in working with individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Language

English

Comments

iii, 68 pages. Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, 2015. Includes bibliographical references (pages 47-51)

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