ABSTRACT
Identification is the process by which a person comes to an understanding that his stammer is made up of various components and develops an ability to recognise, name and monitor these features. However, by engaging in such an activity the individual is also directly confronting his difficulties and the fear associated with them. This can be the first time he has chosen to do this, maybe after a lifetime of running away or trying to hide specific behaviours or feelings from himself and others. As such, the process of identification can provide the foundation and, as Manning writes, ‘some distance and objectivity’ (2000, p282) for work on desensitisation and avoidance reduction.
