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One of the most essential features of human interaction is the use of language. It is present when we interact with our environment, with the people in our lives, and even with ourselves. The words we use carry weight and contribute to our beliefs, thoughts, and ideas about ourselves and the world around us. When considering the development of identity, the quality of language that is used in our everyday lives has a great impact. Additionally, language use is an influential aspect of culture, social interaction, and personal self-view. When addressing the impacts of self-efficacy on performance and motivation in young adults with ADHD, language should not be ignored and can actually be used as a tool for self-help practices.
The words that we use help to shape our identity, guide social interactions, and make sense from our experiences. Depending on the quality of those words, there are lasting impacts that they can have on our ideas about ourselves and our life story. For example, going through school and adolescence as someone with ADHD is an experience that cannot be separated from labels, self-attributions, and outside opinion. Many people with ADHD have experiences of being told they are lazy, dumb, or unfocused (Cogger, 2021). While ADHD behavior can come across this way to people who are uneducated on the matter, these words hold meaning. When these negative attributions are internalized, they become part of someone’s self-view. When this happens, it becomes increasingly difficult to break away from these ways of thinking about oneself and can lead to maladaptive behaviors and beliefs about ability(Torrente et al., 2012). In fact, the very diagnosis of ADHD can have these effects, as the word “deficit” has a negative connotation. There is research that points towards the neurological underpinnings of ADHD as simply being different from neurotypical functioning, not deficient (Kaboodvand et al., 2020). This research advocates for a reevaluation of the disorder, as the current understanding of it has negative impacts on the people who receive its diagnosis and continues to perpetuate social stigma.
These experiences with negative language also inform self-talk tendencies. When someone is told by their environment and the people around them that they are somehow inferior or incapable, it is easy to adopt that language when constructing their self-view. Negative self-talk is common in those with ADHD, especially statements related to personal failures and academic underachievement (Castagna et al., 2017). This kind of behavior is dangerous, as ADHD and anxiety disorders have high comorbidity rates (Castagna et al., 2017). We can also look to research about explanatory styles, which are the different ways someone can think through the causes of positive and negative events (Shmulsky & Gobbo, 2007). Students with ADHD are more likely to have pessimistic explanatory styles, which can indicate low self-efficacy and a negative self-view (Shmulsky & Gobbo, 2007). This is an important pressure point to address because students with ADHD who display positive explanatory styles typically have higher GPAs and increased self-efficacy (Shmulsky & Gobbo, 2007). This is why language is so crucial to understand in the context of ADHD; when used in a positive way there are clear beneficial outcomes.
While the stress and negative self attributions that can come about through language are plenty, there are many ways that language can be used to an advantage. Writing is a powerful tool that, when implemented correctly, can bring about several improvements in both mental and physical health. Expressive writing is one way of accessing those benefits through the activation of our language system. Studies have shown that people who engage in expressive writing have fewer visits to the doctor, improved physical health, and a decrease in intrusive or anxious thoughts (Pennebaker & Graybeal, 2001). In addition to the health benefits, expressive and reflective writing can lead to a better understanding of oneself. I believe that this aspect in particular is key for those with ADHD. A lifetime of experiences of being told that they aren’t good at school, can’t focus on what needs to be done, or aren’t living up to their potential can create quite a confusing and damaged sense of self and self-worth. Writing about and reflecting on these experiences can hopefully lead to a better understanding of who they are and allow for some internal growth and acceptance. This process is facilitated by the Self Memory System that I had mentioned previously. The reason that writing about negative experiences creates a deeper understanding of self is because it works to increase coherence. When a young adult with ADHD works through their memories of not being successful at a goal they set for themselves or of being told they can’t do something, it decreases that sense of self-doubt that arises from memories that have low coherency. When they come to a realization and an understanding about the situational and personal factors at play during those negative experiences, the blame or responsibility can be shifted away from the self and allow room for personal growth.
Language also plays a role in the implementation of wise interventions and self-help practices. Wording matters, so it is important to understand how those words can affect someone who is starting their self-help journey. Researchers have found that language, specifically the use of metaphors, acts as a guiding element for reasoning and decision making (Thibodeau et al., 2017). For example, using the word “virus” as opposed to the word “beast” to describe crime has different connotations and leads people to different conclusions about the solution for the problem. This is because different neural networks of related information, or “schemas”, are activated in response to the word used (Thibodeau et al., 2017). Keeping this in mind, the power of language and metaphors can be harnessed to guide people towards desired positive outcomes. An example of this could be the use of metaphor to describe motivation and self-efficacy. The phrase “There are ways to start the process of increasing self-efficacy” would likely be less effective in activating schematic networks than the phrase “There are ways to get the ball rolling when increasing self-efficacy”. This is because the second phrase paints a picture for the reader and allows them to make connections to the knowledge they have about the properties of a rolling ball; it gains momentum as it continues its path. This is important for those trying to increase their self-efficacy because setting and attaining goals only gets easier the more you do it; the hardest part is getting started.
The most important thing to take away from this discussion of language use is that words have powerful connections to our memory system and internal knowledge networks. You cannot separate experience from language, just as you cannot separate words from their meanings. There are positive and negative outcomes from the words we choose to use in our daily interaction with others as well as ourselves, and self-help literature should recognize and address these outcomes in order to create helpful practices. That is the goal of this project and the desired result of its accompanying workbook activities; to integrate positive language use in order to work towards a stronger and efficacious self-view.
The implementation of these concepts is easier said than done. It is for this reason that interventions are not always one-size-fits-all. Young adults with ADHD have unique experience of life, and truly “wise” interventions take this into account. The recognition of language and the understanding of memory systems are some of the most important things to keep in mind in the creation of these interventions. But there is more that can be done to encourage users to engage in self-help activities, change patterns of thinking and behavior, and move towards a self-enhancing cycle. The primary area of concern for people with ADHD is their executive functioning skills, so blending self-help tools with activities that challenge these skills is a great way to address the problems that they face. Additionally, appreciating the complex relationship between mind and body is necessary for a more effective, all-encompassing approach to self-help.
