The purpose of this research was to look at how people with physical disability describe the
meaning of life and their self-esteem. We also evaluated the relationship between above-mentioned
concepts; verified whether and to what extent selected demographic variables (gender, place of
residence, cause and duration of disability) influenced the meaning of life and self-esteem in the
group of disabled participants. To achieve these goals the Purpose in Life Test, PIL, developed by
J.C. Crumbaugh and L.T. Maholick, and the Self-Esteem Scale (SES) by M. Rosenberg were used.
The global perception of the meaning of life and self-esteem in physically disabled was similar to
the normalized results for healthy people. With an increase of self-esteem among the respondents,
the following criteria were also higher: purpose, meaning and affirmation of life, self-evaluation,
life assessment, freedom and responsibility, and a general feeling of the meaning in life. Women
did not differ from men in terms of the meaning of life and the level of self-esteem. People living
in cities had a higher scorings on the meaning of life than those living in small towns. People
with acquired physical disabilities had higher scorings in their attitude to death and suicide than
those with congenital disability. The time of disability acquisition had connection neither with the
meaning of life nor self-esteem. A higher level of self-assessment characterized more active than
inactive persons. For preventive and therapeutic purposes, it is important to build up individual’s
personal resources, especially the meaning of life and self-esteem, for a harmonious life in the
context of physical disability.
Effects of cognitive cehavioral play therapy techniques on low self-esteem among students
