Abstract

Chronic conditions constitute an important factor of disability. In the present review, we have questioned about the impact that the development of these diseases can have on identity. In the literature there were several attentional focus: on general identity or on its specific dimensions. From the first attentional focus three types of impact were highlighted; they differ in their ability to reconstruct or not a continuity in patients' lives. Studies that have focused on specific dimensions of identity have shown that chronic disease, especially when severe, is a threat to self-esteem, self-efficacy, and continuity, threatening the well-being of patients. Finally, the chronic disease, especially when visible, appears to be frequently associated with stigma and delegitimization.