"They would think that I was a freak or something": impression management in trichotillomania, a hair-pulling disorder
Date
2015
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The present study examines how individuals with Trichotillomania (TTM), a hair-pulling disorder, use impression management techniques to avoid stigmatization and maintain their social identities. Using in-depth interviews with 25 participants and grounded theory analysis, five areas of impression management are distinguished: Concealment of hair loss, concealment of the cause of hair loss, disclosure as preventative telling, knowing vs. seeing, and public awareness. Participants used a combination of concealment and selective disclosure situated within their social roles of race and gender to perform impression management. This study underlines the importance of impression management and stigma avoidance in understanding the negative psychosocial outcomes associated with TTM.