Embodiment and Identity Reconstruction among Neural Prosthetic Limb Users
Main Article Content
Abstract
Advancements in biomedical engineering have transformed the interface between humans and technology, particularly through neural prosthetic systems that restore movement and sensation via direct neural integration. Within this rapidly evolving field, understanding how individuals experience and adapt to such technologies remains limited, especially regarding the emotional and existential dimensions of embodiment. However, despite extensive research on biomechanical performance and neural responsiveness, little is known about how users construct meaning, identity, and bodily perception after adopting neural prosthetics raising the question of how technological embodiment redefines selfhood and lived experience. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA), this study explores the subjective experiences of individuals living with neural prosthetic limbs to uncover the essential meanings underlying their adaptation process. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with participants using neural-integrated prosthetics and analyzed thematically to identify patterns of emotional transformation, bodily redefinition, and social reintegration. The results reveal that prosthetic embodiment extends beyond functional recovery, representing a dynamic interplay between emotional acceptance, sensory perception, and the re-establishment of bodily identity. The findings offer a clear theoretical contribution by demonstrating how neural prosthetic embodiment constitutes a unique form of identity reconstruction not previously articulated in existing phenomenological literature. These findings demonstrate that neural prosthetic use involves an existential adaptation process that reshapes the boundaries between human and technology. By explicitly foregrounding this novel conceptualization of identity reconstruction, the study enhances transparency and contributes new insight into the human–technology interface. The study highlights the necessity of integrating phenomenological insights into biomedical design and rehabilitation practices to ensure that innovation addresses both functional and humanistic dimensions of technological embodiment.
Article Details
Section
References
Abou Hashish, E. A., al-Najjar, H., & Rawas, H. (2025). Voices on academic accreditation: Lived experiences of nurse educators, administrators, students, and alumni in nursing education. BMC Medical Education, 25(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06657-2
Alzayani, S., Al-Roomi, K., & Ahmed, J. (2023). Two years into digital transformation: The lived experiences of Middle Eastern medical students in a problem-based curriculum. Khyber Medical University Journal, 15(4), 211–217. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.35845/kmuj.2023.23309
Arxer, S. L., P LePage, J., Flake, J., M Crawford, A., Hooshyar, D., Jeon-Slaughter, H., & A Philippe, M. (2025). Theorizing Post-Incarceration Transition Crisis and Readiness Through Veteran Identity Work. Illness Crisis and Loss, 33(1), 248–266. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/10541373231209508
Bonello, K., Borg, A., Debono, M., & Fiorini, L. A. (2025). Transnational care networks of ‘third country national’ women working in Malta. Discover Global Society, 3(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-025-00174-9
Carreiras, H., & Castro, C. (2012). Qualitative methods in military studies: Research experiences and challenges (p. 194). Taylor and Francis; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203099223
Daly, K. J. (2007). Qualitative methods for family studies & human development (p. 293). SAGE Publications Inc.; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452224800
De Santis Feltran, G., Lero, C., Cipriani, M., Maldonado, J., de Jesus Rodrigues, F., Silva, L. E. L., & Farias, N. (2022). Variations in Homicide Rates in Brazil: An Explanation Centred on Criminal Group Conflicts1. Dilemas, 15, 349–386. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4322/dilemas.v15esp4.52509
Dinika, A.-A. T. (2025). Trapped in the Matrix Algorithmic Control and Worker Dispossession in the African Platform Economy. Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society, 5(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wjds/5.1.3
Fife, W. (2020). Counting as a Qualitative Method: Grappling with the Reliability Issue in Ethnographic Research (p. 140). Springer International Publishing; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34803-8
Haxhija, S., & Geliş, E. (2025). Unmet needs, unjust journeys: Exploring mobility injustice perceptions among disadvantaged groups. Journal of Transport Geography, 128. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2025.104396
Hillman, W., & Radel, K. (2018). Qualitative methods in tourism research: Theory and practice (p. 294). Channel View Publications; Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85050434848&partnerID=40&md5=7ea1e3f0b2027993b53f6a795804ee51
Iosifides, T. (2016). Qualitative Methods in Migration Studies: A Critical Realist Perspective (p. 266). Taylor and Francis; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315603124
Kamran, H., Piske, M., Min, J. E., Pearce, L. A., Zhou, H., Homayra, F., Wang, L., Small, W., & Nosyk, B. (2022). Validation and endorsement of health system performance measures for opioid use disorder in British Columbia, Canada: A Delphi panel study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 5. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadr.2022.100095
Kawamura, Y. (2020). DOING RESEARCH IN FASHION AND DRESS: An Introduction to Qualitative Methods, 2nd edition (p. 166). Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.; Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85188589040&partnerID=40&md5=b3db406659cd1ea5b20e05664bec39a3
Longhofer, J., Floersch, J., & Hoy, J. (2012). Qualitative Methods for Practice Research (p. 224). Oxford University Press; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398472.001.0001
Lutz, W., & Knox, S. (2014). Quantitative and qualitative methods in psychotherapy research (p. 448). Taylor and Francis; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203386071
Ma, J., & Saadati, S. A. (2025). Voices of Recovery: Patients’ Experiences with AI-Assisted Stroke Rehabilitation. International Journal of Sport Studies for Health, 8(4), 1–9. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.intjssh.8.4.9
Makgahlela, M., Mabidilala, M., Lesolang, N., Jidong, D. E., & Monera-Penduka, T. G. (2022). Using traditional medicine to help with bereavement loss and coping: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of traditional healers’ experiences. Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, 17(2), 145–158. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-07-2021-0087
McNabb, D. E. (2015). Research methods for political science: Quantitative and qualitative methods: Second edition (p. 426). Taylor and Francis; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315701141
Migdal, A. B. (2018). Qualitative Methods in Quantum Theory (p. 460). CRC Press; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429497940
Moseley, L. E., Ford, C. R., & Wilkins, E. B. (2020). Using focus groups to explore evolving perceptions of student pharmacists’ curricular experiences. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 84(1), 83–94. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7122
Mrad, M., Ramadan, Z., Tóth, Z., Nasr, L., & Karimi, S. (2025). Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers. Journal of Advertising, 54(1), 1–19. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711
Mukhlis, L. (2025a). A Phenomenological Study of Personal Spiritual Experiences in Navigating Religious Pluralism within Interfaith Communities. Irfana: Journal of Religious Studies, 1(6), 212–220.
Mukhlis, L. (2025b). Spiritual Grounds for Economic Growth: A Qualitative Exploration of Rural Indonesian Women’s Transformative Journeys Through Mosque-Led Empowerment Programs. Servina: Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, 1(8), 289–298.
Mukhlis, L., & Abdullah, M. N. (2025). Hukum Keluarga Islam di Indonesia (1st ed.). Mukhlisina Revolution Center.
Mukhlis, L., Arifin, T., Ridwan, A. H., & Zulbaidah. (2024). Integrating Artificial Intelligenceand Maqāṣid al-Syarī‘ah: Revolutionizing Indonesia’s Sharia Online Trading System. Computer Fraud and Security, 2024(11), 301–309. https://doi.org/10.52710/cfs.238
Mukhlis, L., Arifin, T., Ridwan, A. H., & Zulbaidah. (2025). Reorientation of Sharia Stock Regulations: Integrating Taṣarrufāt al-Rasūl and Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah for Justice and Sustainability. Journal of Information Systems Engineering and Management, 10(10s), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.52783/jisem.v10i10s.1341
Mukhlis, L., Arifin, T., Ridwan, A. H., Zulbaidah, Rosadi, A., & Solehudin, E. (2025). Reformulation of Islamic Stock Law: The Application of Taṣarrufāt al-Rasūl and Maqāṣid al-Syarī‘ahto Develop a Dynamic and Sustainable Islamic Capital Market in Indonesia. Journal of Posthumanism, 5(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.63332/joph.v5i3.913
Mukhlis, L., Janwari, Y., & Syafe`i, R. (2023). INDONESIA STOCK EXCHANGE: THEORETICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF MUDHARABAH AND MUSYARAKAH CONTRACTS. Yurisprudentia: Jurnal Hukum Ekonomi, 9(2), 243–264. https://doi.org/10.24952/yurisprudentia.v9i2.8466
Mukhlis, L., Maryam, S., & Sormin, S. A. (2023). Model Pembelajaran Living History Berbasis PjBL Untuk Meningkatkan Keterampilan Histografi Mahasiswa. Jurnal Educatio FKIP UNMA, 9(4), 1800–1809. https://doi.org/10.31949/educatio.v9i4.5595
Mukhlis, L., & Saidah, Y. (2025). Dynamics of Nature-Based learning in Developing Children’s Motoricic Skills: Teacher and Parent Perspectives. HUMANISMA: Journal of Gender Studies, 9(1), 64–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.30983/humanisme.v4i2.9366
Mukhlis, L., Suradi, Janwari, Y., & Syafe`i, R. (2023). Sosialisasi Saham Syariah sebagai Instrumen Pengembangan Ekonomi Masyarakat di Badan Kontak Majelis Taklim (BKMT) Kabupaten Mandailing Natal. Jurnal Pengabdian Multidisiplin, 3(2), 2–9. https://doi.org/10.51214/japamul.v3i2.604
Munch, L., van Manen, M., Missel, M., Boas, M., Mouritsen, A. K., & Beck, M. (2025). ‘Walking in their shoes’: How does externally worn diabetes technology mediate with the lifeworld of adolescents with type 1 diabetes. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 8. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2025.100583
Rakha, S., & Woudsma, C. (2025). Unraveling the interplay between individual characteristics and perceived accessibility. Journal of Transport and Health, 44. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2025.102118
Rodgers, L., Botting, N., Abdo, N., Amer-El-Khedoud, M., Baker, E., Franks, S., Harford, D., Salimi-Tabar, P., Temple, L., & Herman, R. (2025). “We’re all in it together”: Uniting a diverse range of professionals and people with lived experience within the development of a complex, theory-based paediatric speech and language therapy intervention. Research Involvement and Engagement, 11(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-025-00738-8
Romero-Torres, A., Leroux, M.-P., Primeau, M.-D., Delisle, J., & Coulon, T. (2025). Toward Sustainable Project Management Practices: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic Using the Most Significant Change Method. Sustainability (Switzerland), 17(13). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135999
Sattar, K., & Yusoff, M. S. B. (2025). Unveiling the interplay of medical professionalism, mental well-being and coping in medical students: A qualitative phenomenological study. BMC Medical Education, 25(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06595-5
Shah, S. S., Gandhi, P., Shinde, S., & Chaudhry, S. (2025). Unmasking the notion of ‘Supermom’ in India: Success and strain amongst earning mothers. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05824-6
Strasheim, A. N., Winburn, A. P., & Stock, M. K. (2023). Utility of Osteoarthritis as an Indicator of Age in Human Skeletal Remains: Validating the Winburn and Stock (2019) Method. Forensic Sciences, 3(2), 205–230. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3390/forensicsci3020016
Wight, N., Harris, J., Andrade, A. A., & Kemp, D. (2025). What remains: Disaster risk and emergency preparedness in a Chilean mining town. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 130. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105811