Abstract
Approximately 5,437,988 (2.21%) adults in the United States have autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Dietz et al., 2020). Autistic young adults have low rates of employment, with only 53.4% working at some point since completing high school (Roux et al., 2013; Wei et al., 2018). In the workplace, autistic people report trying to fit into the job environment (Berman, 2022). The purpose of the present study is to ask, “What are the lived and emotional experiences of autistic adults in the workplace who ‘mask’ or ‘unmask’ their autistic traits?” By interviewing autistic adults, this study examines workplace self-disclosure and masking experiences of autistic people. The five constituents that arose from this phenomenological study were: (1) Frame of mind towards being autistic, (2) Relatedness with other autistic people, (3) Masking as an effortful socialization technique, (4) Navigating the workplace, and (5) Barriers to being authentic at work.
First Advisor
Brenna Hassinger-Das
Second Advisor
Jacqueline DeGroat
Document Type
ETD
Date of Award
7-25-2024
Recommended Citation
Piker, Ida, "Social Camouflaging and Self-Disclosure in the Workplace" (2024). ETD Collection. 12.
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/etd/12