15450. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DISABILITY. This paper looks at disability from a psycho-social context, examining in particular the psychology of people with disabilities. Drawing on established theory and recent research, the essay examines the components of individual disability and the interaction between the individual's psychology of disability and social and environmental mediators. The term paper includes a general overview of disability in America; a review of the literature on the psychology of disability, considering the "stages of acceptance" through which the disabled person is said to progress and considering factors involved in the disabled person's adjustment to disability; and a review of the major theories which seek to explain the psychology of people with disability. Another section presents a rebuttal to the common notions of the psychological difficulties of disability. KEYWORDS: disability disabled persons psychological factors term paper. APA Style. 22 pages, 80 footnotes, 35 bibliographic references.