Abstract
This study surveyed individuals with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) about the meaning of self and others, under the influence of visible differences due to CLP. Exploratory life story interviews were conducted with 14 participants with CLP, at an outpatient clinic at a university's Department of Dentistry. The results revealed the characteristics of the meaning of self and others with CLP, across developmental stages. It appeared that the meaning of self with CLP changed from "awareness of visible difference and functional disorder" in early childhood, to "awareness of difference from others" in later childhood, to "low self-evaluation" in adolescence, and to "understanding of self with CLP" in early adulthood. Further research should be conducted on variations in individual development, and specifically on building developmental support for people with CLP.
