The Changing Process of Disability Identity
A Trajectory Equifinality Model Analysis of Japanese with Physical Disabilities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7514547 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Masakuni Tagaki (0000-0003-0586-1486, Tokyo Metropolitan University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 15 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1932-4502 • E-ISSN: 1936-3567 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12124-025-09953-0 |
| PMID | 41774299 |
| OpenAlex | W7133345920 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 33 |
This study examines the development of disability identity in Japan’s disability community. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Japanese participants with physical disabilities who had active interaction with others with disabilities. The interview transcription was analyzed using the KJ method and the Trajectory Equifinality Model developed in Japan. The analysis showed that the participants coped with a sense of isolation from society and experienced dilemmas about their invisible disabilities. They broadened their views from personal to general disability issues at several turning points. The process was not linear; they examined the unprocessed path deeply to understand the meanings of actual experiences after each turning point. They were influenced by family members, people with similar or different disabilities, people without disabilities, and local government officials. In addition, their cultural and structural environments either encouraged or hindered their problem-solving abilities and development of new viewpoints. Their relationships with other people with disabilities enabled the participants to broaden their perspectives on disability issues and realize the limitations of their own activities. They were not satisfied with their achievements and neglected to cultivate successors. The study results demonstrated that forging and sustaining a disability identity does not mean people with disabilities belong entirely to the disability community. Instead, they move between the disability and non-disability communities. That holistic identity gives people with disabilities the opportunity to seek new activities using a broader imagination
Disability studies · Disabled people · Equifinality · Identity (music · Medical model of disability · Path (computing · Process (computing · Trajectory · Disability Education and Employment · Disability Rights and Representation · Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport
The Life Story Interview
From Methodology to Methods in Human Psychology
Culture in Minds and Societies
Narrating life's turning points
The Wounded Storyteller
How Do People Disclose Their Mild‐To‐Moderate Hearing Loss? 1 , 2
Research Development from Acceptance to the Meaning of Acquired Disability in People with Impaired Mobility in Japan
(Re)defining disability culture
The meanings of disability-related activities and disability identities
Shadow trajectories
Imagination in people and societies on the move
Pathways to life course changes
This Is the Real “Death-Line” and I Am Still Alive
Meaning of Disability and Management of its Visibility
Mixed Methods Sampling
Born that way or became that way
Someone Like Me? Disability Identity and Representation Perceptions
Life history model of adaptation to disability
Trajectory equifinality model and German research on women's self-negotiation of perceived normativity in a Western society
The Study of Life History
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |