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Yes I am human: Autobiography of a “retarded career”
Author(s) -
Turner Jim L.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(198001)8:1<3::aid-jcop2290080102>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - mentally retarded , interview , biography , psychology , agency (philosophy) , subject (documents) , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , social psychology , sociology , social science , political science , law , library science , anthropology , computer science
A preliminary account of on‐going life history research with a “mentally retarded” man is reported. At the time the subject was selected, he was identified by an official agency and by himself as “mentally retarded.” He had been living in group home facilities with other retarded people for 17 years. Midway in the first two years of interviewing, a battery of psychological tests were administered revealing, by such criteria, he was a well‐adjusted man of average intelligence. Discussion focuses on comparison of the alternative versions he constructed of his life experiences as a retarded person, before and after the disclosure that he was not mentally retarded.