Physical “I” At Disabled People with a Late Lesion Musculoskeletal System

Abstract Damage to the musculoskeletal system leads to the change in the physical and functional characteristics of the person. This causes a change in the person’s image of his physical “I”. Being the main component of a holistic self-perception, the transformation of the image of the physical “I” or its immutability can seriously weaken the adaptive mechanisms of higher nervous activity. In this regard, the study of the features of the image of the physical “I” in invalids due to severe physical trauma reveals the deep neuropsychological mechanisms of adapting them to the new conditions of life and helps to find ways of their psychological support. 146 persons of both sexes (76 men and 70 women) of the second adult age (on average, 38,5 ± 2,4 years old), who became disabled due to severe physical trauma about 5 years ago, were examined. The subjects evaluated the degree of harmony between the level of personal significance and subjective attractiveness of certain anatomical, functional and image characteristics of the image of the physical “I”. Significantly significant differences were recorded in the indicators of “anatomical” and especially “functional” characteristics of the image of the physical “I”. In indicators of the image characteristics of the physical “I”, there was no sign of any difference between their personal significance and their self-esteem among the disabled. The increase in the subjective significance of his physical qualities revealed by disabled people with a late defeat of the musculoskeletal system is a serious resource and “point of influence” for their psych correction after the physical defects they have received. Keywords Invalids; Injuries of the musculoskeletal system; Trauma; Selfesteem