HOSPITAL STUDIES OF DIFFUSE IDENTITY AMONG MILITARY WOUNDED: PSYCHOANALYTIC CONTEXT

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship between diffuse identity and identification with normative attitudes of masculinity in military personnel undergoing rehabilitation in a hospital. The purpose of the study is to determine the specifics of identity diffusion among the war wounded in the conditions of inpatient rehabilitation. The basis of the study was the methodology of investigating the level of identity diffusion Inventory of Personality Organization - Revised. We are primarily interested in the methodology through the PD/ID (Personality Disorder/Identity Diffusion) scale, as our theoretical model of the personal identity of addicted men is based on the assumption that identity diffusion is the decisive factor in the emergence of addiction. An adaptation of a shortened version of the questionnaire (42 statements) was used. The PD/ID scale consists of 30 statements, and the RT scale consists of 12. Respondents evaluate the correspondence of the statements to their condition by marking them in the form with a plus (1 point) or a minus (0 points). Accordingly, the maximum value on the identity diffusion scale is 30, and reality testing is -12. The higher the score, the more pronounced the violation. The PD/ID scale measures the level of severity of disorders of personal functioning and helps to establish a diagnosis of a personality disorder. It was found that men's diffuse identity leads to an increased need for self-determination according to rigid cultural norms of masculinity, which serve as a compensatory defense mechanism for a weakened Ego. At the same time, the ability of men to build libidinal relationships suffers the most, where their acceptance of their own need for love and acceptance is uncompromisingly regulated by the collective, cultural image of a man. This manifests itself as the statistically highest self-identification in the sample on the "homophobia" scale, which actually correlates with the diffuseness of identity. A man's libidinal relationships are tightly regulated, and the object's cathexis is severely censored. A promising area for further research would be to investigate the relationship between military servicemen's attachment style, level of identity diffusion, and self-definition according to normative attitudes of masculinity.