Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Between affirmation and prejudice – pedagogical reading of ambivalent attitudes in the context of the phenomenon of disability
Abstract
Introduction: Ambivalent attitudes towards disability and people with disabilities constitute a complex area of tension between declared affirmation and entrenched prejudices. The coexistence of positive and negative social attitudes is revealed in public discourses and in everyday interpersonal interactions, influencing the way we perceive and treat the Other. Recognizing ambivalence and understanding the significance of its mechanisms is crucial for identifying exclusion processes and, importantly, designing educational activities that foster social sensitivity that leads to inclusion.
Research Aim: The aim of the article is to identify and systematize the mechanisms that condition ambivalent attitudes toward the phenomenon of disability, based on an analysis of theoretical approaches and previous empirical research findings. The aim of the study is to analyze and explain the ways in which ambivalence toward disability and persons with disabilities manifests itself in educational practice.
Evidence-based Facts: The state of the art regarding ambivalent attitudes indicates that the coexistence of affirmation and prejudice is a common phenomenon, documented in psychological, sociological, and pedagogical literature. Research shows that declared positive attitudes often coexist with hidden or unconscious beliefs that devalue people with disabilities. This phenomenon is driven by such theories as that of ambivalent attitudes, social differentiation, as well as mechanisms of stereotyping, ableism, and infrahumanization. Numerous analyses also confirm that ambivalence is reinforced by cultural narratives, a lack of reliable knowledge, and entrenched models of social differentiation.
Summary: Ambivalent attitudes toward disability mask the gap between declared acceptance and entrenched prejudices that influence the upbringing and education processes. Research findings indicate that such attitudes perpetuate stereotypes and hinder creation of an inclusive environment. Understanding and reflecting on these perspectives is crucial for designing pedagogical practices that support the equality and empowerment of students with disabilities, particularly in the context of inclusive educational practices.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Allport, G. W. (1979). The Nature of Prejudice. Addison-Wesley.
Ajzen, I. (2005). Attitudes, Personality and Behavior. Open University Press.
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Akert, R. M. (2012). Psychologia społeczna. Zysk i S-ka.
Barnes, C., & Mercer, G. (2010). Exploring disability (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Polity Press.
Barreto, M., & Ellemers, N. (2010). Current issues in the study of social stigma: Some controversies and unresolved issues. Journal of Social Issues, 66(3), 431–445. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2010.01654.x
Bauman, Z. (1991). Modernity and ambivalence. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Bauman, Z. (2006). Płynna nowoczesność. Wydawnictwo Literackie.
Bauman, Z., & Tester, K. (2003). O pożytkach z wątpliwości: Rozmowy z Zygmuntem Baumanem. Sic!
Bauman, Z., & Tester, K. (2024). On the postmodernism debate. In P. Goulimari (Ed.), Postmodernism. What moment? (pp. 22–31). Manchester University Press.
Beck, U. (1992). Risk society: Towards a new modernity. Sage.
Brown, N. (Ed.) (2021). Lived experiences of ableism in academia. Policy Press.
Byer-Tyre, C. A., Clifton, R. L., Faidley, M., Schoeps, K., & Zapolski, T. C. B. (2022). Exploring the promotive pathway between ethnic-racial identity, depression and anxiety symptoms, and substance use among African American emerging adults. Culture Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 30(1), 156–165. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cdp0000558
Całek, G. (2023). Niepełnosprawność i edukacja. Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne.
Campbell, F. K. (2008). Exploring internalized ableism using critical race theory. Disability & Society, 23(2), 151-162. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687590701841190
Campbell, F. K. (2009). Contours of ableism. Palgrave Macmillan.
Carew, M. T., & Shakespeare, T. (2024). Beyond disability stigma: Examining tolerance and intolerance toward disability issues. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 26(1), 450463. https://doi.org/ 10.16993/sjdr.1145
Charitaki, G., Kourti, I., Gregory, J. L., Ozturk, M., Ismail, Z., Alevriadou, A., & Demirel, C. (2024). Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education: A cross-national exploration. Trends in Psychology, 32(4), 1120-1147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-022-00240-0
Chodkowska, M., & Kazanowski, Z. (2007). Socjopedagogiczne konteksty postaw nauczycieli wobec edukacji integracyjnej. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej.
Conner, M., & Sparks, P. (2002). Ambivalence and attitudes. European Review of Social Psychology, 12(1), 37-70.
Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2002). Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry, 1(1), 16–20.
Cuddy, A. J. C., Fiske, S. T., & Glick, P. (2007). The BIAS map: Behaviors from intergroup affect and stereotypes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 631–648. https://doi.org1037/0022–3514.92.4.631
Cuddy, A. J. C., Glick, P., & Beninger, A. (2011). The dynamics of warmth and competence judgments and their outcomes in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 31, 73–98. https://doi.org 10.1016/j.riob.2011.10.004
Deal, M. (2007). Aversive disablism: Subtle prejudice toward disabled people. Disability & Society, 22(1), 93–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687590601056667
Dervin, F. (2016). Discourses of othering. In F. Dervin (Ed.), Interculturality in education: A theoretical and methodological toolbox (pp. 43–55). Palgrave Macmillan.
Dirth, T. P., & Branscombe, N. R. (2019). Recognizing ableism: A social identity analysis of disabled people perceiving discrimination as illegitimate. Journal of Social Issues, 75(3), 786–813. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12345
Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Emmons, R. A. (1996). Strivings and feeling: Personal goals and subjective well-being. In: P. M. Gollwitzer & J. A. Bargh (Eds.), The psychology of action: Linking cognition and motivation to behavior (pp. 313–37). Guilford.
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press.
Florian, L. (2014). What counts as evidence of inclusive education? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 29(3), 286–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2014.933551
Friedman, C. (2018). Aversive ableism: Modern prejudice towards disabled people. Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 14(4), 1–21.
Friedman, C. (2019). Mapping ableism: A two-dimensional model of explicit and implicit disability attitudes. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 8(3), 95–120. https://doi.org/10.15353/cjds.v8i3.509
Gardner, P. L. (1987). Measuring ambivalence to science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 24, 241–247.
Garland-Thomson, R. (2009). Staring: How we look. Oxford University Press.
Giddens, A. (2008). Socjologia. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
Głodkowska, J. (2020). A socially inclusive culture as a source of the model of educational changes from the perspective of teaching according to differences. In J. Głodkowska (Ed.), Inclusive education. Identity in diversity (pp. 15-37). Wydawnictwo Akademii Pedagogiki Specjalnej.
Głodkowska, J. (2023). Wizja świata otwierająca na inność i Innego – zanikający czy obecny romantyzm w ponowoczesność. Człowiek Niepełnosprawność Społeczeństwo, 61(3), 5-21. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0054.3971
Głodkowska, J. (2025). Rozważania w horyzoncie inności i innego niepełnosprawność wyjaśniana procesem różnicowania społecznego. Niepełnosprawność i Rehabilitacja, 100(4), 55-67. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0055.6356
Goffman, E. (2005). Piętno. Rozważania o zranionej tożsamości. Gdańskie Wydawnictwo Pedagogiczne.
Goldiner, A. (2022). Understanding “disability” as a cluster of disability models. The Journal of Philosophy of Disability, 2, 2854. https://doi.org/10.5840/jpd20224411
Goodley, D. (2016). Disability studies: An interdisciplinary introduction. SAGE
Grue, J. (2016). The social meaning of disability: A reflection on categorisation, stigma and identity. Sociology of Health & Illness, 38(6), 957–964. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12417
Haddock, G., & Maio, G. R. (2004). Contemporary perspectives on dual-process theories of persuasion. European Review of Social Psychology, 15(1), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463280440000008
Hehir, T. (2007). Confronting ableism. Educational Leadership, 64(5), 8–14.
Jacob, J. D., Gagnon, M., Perron, A., & Canales, M. K. (2021). Revisiting the concept of othering: A structural analysis. Advances in Nursing Science, 44(4), 280–290. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000353
Jonas, K., Bromer, P., & Diehl, M. (2000). Attitudinal ambivalence. European Review of Social Psychology, 11(1), 35–74.
Jonas, K., Diehl, M., & Bromer, P. (1997). Effects of attitudinal ambivalence on information processing and attitude-intention consistency. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 33, 190–210.
Katz, I., Hass, R. G., & Wackenhut, J. (1986). Racial ambivalence, value, duality and behaviour. In J. F. Doridio, & S. L. Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, discrimination and racism (pp. 35-59). Academic Press.
Keller, R. M., & Galgay, C. E. (2010). Microaggressive experiences of people with disabilities. In D.W. Sue (Ed.), Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, dynamics, and impact (pp. 241–268). Wiley and Sons.
Kirenko, J. (2007). Indywidualna i społeczna percepcja niepełnosprawności. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej.
Laplanche, J., & Pontalis, J. B. (2018). The language of psychoanalysis. Routledge.
Lautenbach, F., & Antoniewicz, F. (2018). Ambivalent implicit attitudes towards inclusion in preservice PE teachers: The need for assessing both implicit and explicit attitudes towards inclusion. Teaching and Teacher Education, 72, 24–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.01.003
Leyens J. P., Demoulin S., Vaes J., Gaunt R., & Paladino M. P. (2007). Infra-humanization: The wall of group differences. Social Issues and Policy Review, 1, 139—172.
Lindner, K. T., Schwab, S., Emara, M., & Avramidis, E. (2023). Do teachers favor the inclusion of all students? A systematic review of primary schoolteachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 38(6), 766–787. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2023.2172894
Link, B., & Phelan, J. (2001). Conceptualizing stigma. Annual Review of Sociology, 27(1), 363–385. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.363
Livneh, H., & Antonak, R. F. (1997). Psychosocial adaptation to chronic illness and disability. Aspen.
Loja, E., Costa, M. E., Hughes, B., & Menezes, I. (2013). Disability, embodiment and ableism: Stories of resistance. Disability & Society, 28(2), 190–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.705057
Luhmann, N. (1982). The differentiation of society. Columbia University Press.
Luhmann, N. (1992). The concept of society. Thesis Eleven, 31(1), 67–80.
Luhmann, N. (2012). Systemy społeczne: zarys ogólnej teorii. Zakład Wydawniczy „Nomos”.
Melosik, Z., & Szkudlarek, T. (2010). Kultura, tożsamość i edukacja. Impuls.
Merton, R. K. (1976). Sociological ambivalence and other essays. Free Press.
Mik-Meyer, N. (2020). Symbolic interactionism, stigma and othering. In M. Järvinen & N. Mik-Meyer (Eds.), Qualitative analysis: Eight approaches for the social sciences (pp. 51–72). SAGE Publications.
Mucherah, W., Finch, H., Bota, K., & Thomas, R. N. (2023). Teacher attitudes and perceived preparedness towards inclusive education in Kenya: we are somewhat okay and kind of prepared. International Journal of Teacher Education and Professional Development (IJTEPD), 6(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJTEPD.335922
Nario Redmond, M. R. (2024). Ableism: The many manifestations of disability prejudice. In G. Bennett & Goodall, E. (Eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability (pp. 1–7). Springer Nature Switzerland.
Nario‐Redmond, M. R., Kemerling, A. A., & Silverman, A. (2019). Hostile, benevolent, and ambivalent ableism: Contemporary manifestations. Journal of Social Issues, 75(3), 726–756. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12337
Oliver, M., & Barnes, C. (2013). Disability studies, disabled people and the struggle for inclusion. In M. G. Gabel & S. Danforth (Eds.), The sociology of disability and inclusive education (pp. 20–33). Routledge.
Oliver, M. (1996). Understanding disability: From theory to practice. Macmillan.
Ortony, A., Clore, G. L., & Collins, A. (1988). The cognitive structure of emotions. Cambridge University Press.
Parey, B. (2019). Understanding teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of children with disabilities in inclusive schools using mixed methods: The case of Trinidad. Teaching and Teacher Education, 83, 199–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.04.007
Petty, R. E., & Briñol, P. (2009). Implicit ambivalence: A theoretical and methodological review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(5), 715–726.
Rohmer, O., & Louvet, E. (2018). Implicit stereotyping against people with disability. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 21(1), 127–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430216638536
Saikia, Y., & Haines, C. (Eds.). (2024). On Othering: Processes and politics of unpeace. Athabasca University Press.
Sakowicz-Boboryko, A., & Otapowicz, D. (2024). Szkoła ogólnodostępna wobec inkluzji uczniów z niepełnosprawnością – diagnoza wybranych problemów. Kultura i Edukacja, 2(144), 63–78. https://doi.org/10.15804/kie.2024.02.03
Schwartz, D., Blue, E., McDonald, M., Giuliani, G., Weber, G., Seirup, H., & Perkins, A. (2010). Dispelling stereotypes: Promoting disability equality through film. Disability & Society, 25(7), 841–848. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2010.510795
Selisko, T. J., Eckert, C., & Perels, F. (2024). The who and what of inclusive education—Profiles of student teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education. Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1433739. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1433739
Shakespeare, T. (2014). Disability rights and wrongs revisited. Routledge.
Söder, M. (1990). Prejudice or ambivalence? Attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Disability, Handicap & Society, 5(3), 227–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/02674649066780241
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In S. Worchel & W. G. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7–24). Nelson-Hall.
Thomas-Olalde, O., & Velho, A. (2011). Othering and its effects: Exploring the concept. Writing Postcolonial Histories of Intercultural Education, 2, 27–51.
Thompson, M. M., Zanna, M. P., & Griffin, D. W. (1995). Let’s not be indifferent about (attitudinal) ambivalence. In R. E. Petty & J. A. Krosnick (Eds.), Attitude strength: Antecedents and consequences (pp. 361–86). Erlbaum.
Tyler, I., & Slater T. (2018). Rethinking the sociology of stigma. The Sociological Review Monographs, 66(4), 721–743. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026118777425
Waldenfels, B. (2002). Topografia obcego: Studia z fenomenologii obcego. Oficyna Naukowa.
Wojciszke, B. (2011). Psychologia społeczna. Scholar.
Wolbring, G. (2008). The politics of ableism. Development, 51(2), 252–258. https://doi.org/10.1057/dev.2008.17
Yeo, A. J., Halpern, L. F., Flagg, A. M., & Lin, B. (2022). Discrimination and depressive symptoms among black and Asian American college students: Share and group-specific processes of self-concept. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 30(1), 83–94. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cdp0000549
Zola, I. K. (1993). Self, identity and the naming question: Reflections on the language of disability. Social Science & Medicine, 36(2), 167–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(93)90208-L
Zola, I. K. (2005). Toward the necessary universalizing of a disability policy. The Milbank Quarterly, 83(4), 1–27.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/lrp.2026.45.2.157-178
Date of publication: 2026-06-30 15:05:44
Date of submission: 2025-12-09 19:17:40
Statistics
Indicators
Copyright (c) 2026 Joanna Głodkowska
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.