Effects of Hearing Impairment on Human Psychology - Research Paper Example

Effects of Hearing Impairment on Human Psychology Abstract Hearing impairment, hearing loss or deafness is a type of physical disability defined as the total or partial inability to hear (Smith & Tyler, 2010). Hearing loss is said to occur whenever there happens to be diminished sensitivity to sounds that are normally heard. The terminology hearing impairment is often reserved for persons known to be relatively insensitive to sound in the speech frequency (Smith, & Tyler, 2010). More often than not, the severity of loss of hearing is categorized basing on the increase in volumes that raises above the normal level required before the listener detects it. On the other hand, deafness refers to the degree of impairment that causes the inability of a person to comprehend speech even where the sound is amplified (Bagenstos, 2009). For total deafness, there is totally no sound heard regardless of method of sound production or amplification. Speech perception is also one of the aspects of hearing that often involve the perceived sound clarity rather than the sound amplitude (Bagenstos, 2009). For humans, speech perception is measured through a test of speech perceptions. Generally, hearing impairment has many causes. These include age, heredity, trauma, diseases such as meningitis, and ear infections, long term exposure to loud noises, and certain medicines among other causes (Robinson & Sutton, 2004). Hearing loss leads to various effects on humans. These effects can be categorized as sociological, physical, psychological, or mental (Mitchell & Karchmer, 2004). This paper focuses on the effects of hearing loss on human psychology. It is worth noting that hearing impairment results into varying psychological disorders as far as humans are concerned. The fact that hearing loss by itself lowers the quality of life, explains why most affected individuals are in most cases depressed. To a larger extend, those individuals who acquire this kind of disability is the most affected. For them, trying to overcome anxiety in a social setting, to keep up in any conversation is quite stressful to such an extent that it might end up resulting in psychological disorders. The extent of psychological disorders varies from individual to individual. It is worth noting, as well that there are various human psychosocial disorders that a hearing impairment individual is bound to experience. These include anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, dissociative disorders, as well as schizophrenic disorders (Oishi, & Schacht, 2011). An individual with hearing impairment experiences anxiety disorders such as specific phobia, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and the generalized anxiety disorder (Yeo & Moore, 2003). Phobia or fear experienced by the hearing impaired person is caused by the irrational fear of some situations they have to go through in the course of living. They are more affected by the agoraphobia, or the fear of being amongst large crowds of people. This fear is even made worse following an isolation treatment that the hearing impaired persons are meant to go through. More often than not, they are treated as persons who are not fit to intermingle freely with the relatively normal individuals. Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that immensely affects the hearing impaired persons (Yeo & Moore, 2003). The hearing impaired persons often experience un forewarned attacks of some sort of extreme dread, as if terrible things are to befall them. This happens because of failure to interact freely with the world they perceive, and touch yet they cannot hear what comes out of it. It is a common characteristic for those who are hearing impaired lack speech. This problem causes communication isolation between them and the relatively normal individuals this creates acrimony. It should be noted that these attacks are not often caused by a particular situation but rather results from certain context. For a person who acquires hearing impairment, they are prone to post-traumatic stress disorder. This disorder arise amongst this selected impaired group because of being exposed to life-threatening situations, as well as stressful life in which they perceive they lack control over their outcome yet it was not their wish to experience them. The affected often foreshadow situations in which they feel they become helpless yet nobody is always available to listen and feel what they experience, and they find it difficult accepting their situations in order to live their lives. Situations that might cause the disorder for this group include natural disaster, accidents, and military combat (Robinson & Sutton, 2004). By and large, the hearing impaired persons experience obsessive-compulsive disorder (anxiety disorder) (Robinson & Sutton, 2004). In this respect, there are often occupied with thoughts of distressing nature, which over and over again do intrude their minds. Moreover, they are always characterized by having ritualistic behavior in which case they feel they have to perform them time and again hence arousing anxiety in them. The hearing impaired persons, as well experience a generalized anxiety disorder. In this case, they tend to experience continuous high levels of anxiety, which are not often triggered by specific situations. As mentioned above, the hearing impaired persons are also prone to Somatoform disorders (Mitchell & Karchmer, 2004). The common ones of these types are the hypochondriasis disorders and the conversion disorders (Mitchell & Karchmer, 2004). In this context, the hearing impaired persons, are often perpetually convinced that because they have hearing problems, then they are affected with some dread disease, which if it fails to be treated would cause them lifetime demise. These disorders maintain some strong fear in them and end up costing them happiness. It requires the attention of the counselors, physicians, family, friends and others to provide them with motivation in order to help them overcome these disorders. Conversion disorders that eminently affect the hearing impaired come about following a loss of sensory experience or hearing for that matter. This disorder often makes them appear to be unconcerned about there being a problem hence not wishing to look for help that would help them out of the mess. This disorder occurs following an allowance by the affected individual to unconsciously find a solution to the problem in this case, damned if one does not conflict and damned if he or she does (Mitchell & Karchmer, 2004). Studies have indicated that the hearing impaired persons, as well experience dissociative disorders (Robinson & Sutton, 2004). This type is a psychological disorder involving the part of the mind. Among such disorders experienced by the hearing, impaired persons include the dissociative amnesia, the dissociative identity disorder, as well as the dissociative fugue disorder (Robinson & Sutton, 2004). In respect to these three types of dissociative disorders, individuals with hearing impairments have been reported to experience loss of memory following physiological factors rather than the physical trauma. In some cases, they are also said to of the nature of forgetting their true identity, as well as their past, replacing them with the imaginary identity and past, and then starting off a new life in some place, though not quite conscious of having done exactly that. It is also common of them to develop several alternative personalities, for which each seems to suit a normal person. As highlighted above, persons with hearing impairment do experience schizophrenia, which includes various symptoms. Research has shown that, for the hearing impaired persons, schizophrenia causes them to have disordered thought, which often explains why most of the hearing impaired people experience learning disabilities (Robinson & Sutton, 2004). Because of the effects of schizophrenia, the hearing impaired persons have been noted to have difficulties in attention, and they are often destructed easily. In severe cases, the effected persons experience disordered thinking such that it becomes problematic for them to have well constructed ideas except by a chain of loose associations. This explains why they have a distinctive way of communication. Their use of sign language, for example, is a back up to the idea that they are schizophrenia affected. Occasionally, when in a group of relatively normal individuals, they tend to use strange signs that have private meaning yet still believe that other relatively normal individual should understand. There are various other human psychological effects that persons with hearing impairment are bound to experience. These include embarrassment, depression, anger, shame and guilt, worry and depression, problems of concentration, insecurity, suspiciousness and anxiety, as well as loss of self-esteem or self-confidence (Robinson & Sutton, 2004). As if not enough, hearing loss individuals are often less tolerant and irritable towards other people to the extent of becoming paranoid, and it is quite challenging for them to participate actively in psychosocial activities. This follows an array of certain characteristics that are common with them. The most notable characteristics include loss of intimacy, bluffing, inattentiveness, challenges of communicating with children and other people, withdrawal and isolation, problems at work, reduced social activity or problems with participating in some social life, sexual challenges, problems communicating with friends, relieves, children and grand children and many more (Mitchell & Karchmer, 2004). Conclusion. Hearing impairment is one of the physical disabilities have profound human psychological effects. The key known human psychological effects of hearing impairment include anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, dissociative disorders, as well as schizophrenic disorders. The anxiety disorders include specific phobia, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and the generalized anxiety disorder. The somatoform disorders include the hypochondriasis disorders and the conversion disorders. The third human psychology disorder as mentioned above are the dissociative disorders which are psychological disorders involving the part of the mind. They include the dissociative amnesia, the dissociative identity disorder, as well as the dissociative fugue disorder. Other human psychological effects that persons with hearing impairment are bound to experience as identified in this paper include embarrassment, depression, anger, shame and guilt, worry and depression, problems of concentration, insecurity, suspiciousness and anxiety, as well as loss of self-esteem or self-confidence. Other related challenges a person with a hearing disability is bound to experience include loss of intimacy, bluffing, inattentiveness, challenges of communicating with children and other people, withdrawal and isolation, problems at work, reduced social activity or problems with participating in some social life, and sexual challenges. References Bagenstos, S. (2009). The Law and the Contradictions of Disability Rights Movement. New Haven: Yale University Press. Mitchell R, & Karchmer M. (2004). "Chasing the mythical 20 percent: Parental hearing status of the deaf and hard of hearing students in the United States". The Sign Language Studies 4 (2): 138–163. Oishi, N, Schacht, J. (2011). "Emerging treatments for the noise-induced hearing loss.". Expert opinion on emerging drugs 16 (2): 235-45. Robinson, D, & Sutton, G. (2004). "Age effects in hearing - a comparative analysis of the published threshold data". Audiology : official organ of the International Society of Audiology 18 (4): 320–34. Smith, D, & Tyler, C. (2010). Introduction to the Special Education. Columbus: Merrill. Yeo, J. & Moore, N. (2003). Including disabled persons in poverty reduction works: “Nothing about us, without us”. World Development 31, 571-590. Read More