Ability conditioning model: A study on prevention of conditioned inability of physically challenged people

Pages:278-283
Shailendra Kumar Mishra (Provincial Civil Servant in India, Founder of Mission Chetna, New York)

Hitherto, psychologist have achieved many success in the treatment of various mental diseases by using psychological principles of ”counter conditioning” and ”desensitization”. This research indicates a new process of removing the inability of physically disabled people through the use of the principles of counter conditioning and systematic desensitization. In fact, due to physical disability, lack of sense organ or body part, low-cognitive map of ability i.e. in form of ”cognitive inability” is conditioned with every challenges or opportunity or task coming in way of their life day to day. This is due to the fact that people with disabilities often receive negative remarks by the society related to their body and ability which leads to the development of low self-esteem as suggested by Bandura and Woods (1989) i.e., their low perceived self-belief lowered their perceived self-efficiency, hence , low cognitive map of their ability (World Health Organization). From the rating of the research questionnaire put before 60 sample of disabled people from same social , economic background, there was found a low cognitive map of ability in them. On the other hand, when the same questionnaire are rated on 60 sample of physically normal people from the same social & economic background, the said cognitive inability was found negligible in them. But when we have done skill training of that group of disabled persons gradually and systematically, their low cognitive map of ability has been desensitized with new challenges, opportunities of their lives and then a ” cognitive map of ability ” is counter conditioned in place of low cognitive map or inability as results are seen. Actually the gap between the level of ”apparent ability” and ”real ability” of disabled person, which is more than that, can be filled by a process of systematic and gradual skill training as many psychologists like Compton and Logan (1991) has found in their studies that with practicing any skill response time of a stimuli will become quick. This is actually ”cognitive inability illusions” developed as conditioned response against new challenges, tasks or opportunities in way of his life. Learning of new skill reciprocally inhibit to CR (conditioned response) in form of ”cognitive map of inability” and this, in turn, change the cognitive map of inability in to self-confidence in his ability, i.e., cognitive map of ability as conditioned response are counter conditioned. We have also measured the ”apparent ability” and ”real ability” of persons with disabilities in form of self-estimation of ability in order of increasing level of challenges or tasks gradually given to them, before and after gradual skill trainings. The most important aspect of this study along with its educational, social and policy making importance, is that we can eradicate ”inability illusions” or change cognitive map of inability of disabled people by facilitating a systematic and gradual skill training programme to them according to their interest and hence achieve their potential ability in behaviour.