Akkommodative Selbstregulation nach erworbenen Hirnschädigungen: Lebensziele, persönliche Reifung und Ereigniszentralität.

Acquired brain injuries (ABI) may challenge fundamental schemata about the world and the self and may permanently block the attainability of important life goals. Therefore, an ABI requires the adaptation of fundamental schemata and life goals. The dual process model (Brandtstädter & Renner, 1990, 1992; Brandtstädter & Rothermund, 2002) postulates two mechanism of self-regulation and life goal adjustment: The assimilative mode, which describes the maintenance of central schemata and the tenacious pursuit of life goals, and the accommodative mode, which encompasses the flexible adjustment of schemata, a repriorisation of life-goals, benefit-finding or personal growth following adverse life events and changes in the centrality of self-defining aspects. The aim of this publication-based dissertation was to investigate accommodative self-regulation following ABI. The first study examined the longitudinal development of communal and agentic life goals and three life goal attributes (importance, general attainability, present success) following ABI. Moreover, relationships with subjective well-being were examined. Attainability and present success ratings of communal and agentic life goals significantly decreased over approximately two years following ABI, whereas importance ratings of both life goals showed stability over time. Increased attainability of communal life goals along with higher functional status of ABI survivors significantly predicted higher levels of subjective well-being. A second investigation examined negative and positive self-relevant changes following a stroke by using a mixed-method approach applying both, standardized questionnaires and a qualitative interview. Moreover, changes in self-schemata (personal growth, event centrality) were compared between stroke survivors and healthy controls. Stroke survivors showed significant higher levels of personal growth and event centrality compared to healthy controls. However, they also reported significant higher levels of depression and a significant reduced satisfaction with life. Qualitative research results also supported the co-existence of both, negative and positive changes following a stroke, as all stroke survivors reported persisting negative and positive changes. The aim of a third study was to longitudinally examine the development of personal growth and event centrality following a stroke. Moreover, cognitive and coping processes relevant to the development of personal growth were investigated. Stroke survivors reported personal growth at baseline assessment. However, personal growth scores remained stable over time. A trend towards an increase of event centrality was observed over time. Social support coping longitudinally predicted personal growth. Moreover, acceptance coping longitudinally predicted personal growth under the condition of moderate to high event centrality. The results of the present dissertation highlight the importance of life goals for neuropsychological rehabilitation. Considering positive changes and personal growth following ABI should be seen as a complementation of rehabilitation approaches of restitution and compensation of post-injury impairments. The concept of event centrality might be useful in neuropsychological rehabilitation, as it might facilitate the recognition of negative and positive changes following ABI.