Blog post 4: Tattoos and Body Piercings a form of Self Harming?

Tattoos and Body Piercings originated from ancient tribes as a form of identification, a measurement of who's the most dominant and/or attractive and other various purposes. Nowadays it is a form of aesthetic and an art of expressing one's self. We all know that the process of body piercing and having tattoos hurt, but is it considered a form of Self Harming?

I have read this article by Ms. Tracy Alderman entitled Tattoos and Piercings: Self Injury?, this article discussed several factors that might be considered if this two said activities is a form of self harming or not. The first factor that should be considered is, Tattoos and Piercings obviously inflicts harm to one's self, however, most people don't tattoo or pierce themselves they ask for a professional's help or assistance. The second factor is getting a tattoo or a piercing is a lousy and ineffective way to kill yourself it defeats the idea that either of this behaviors would result as an attempt of suicide. Nonetheless, that is the major point of all the non-suicidal self harmers. They hurt themselves without the actual intention to kill themselves. The last factor that separates self injury from tattoos and piercings is that of pride. The majority of people who get tattoos and piercings are proud of their new decoration. It becomes a part of them self. It symbolizes bravery, art, sentimental value or even tells a story about them self. They want to show others of their ink, studs or plugs. It tells a story of pain, experience, fear, and/or love or liking. Contradictory to those people who hurt themselves.They do not tell anyone about it. They didn't want it to be known. Self harmers go to their extent to hide their scars, they create stories, accidents or wear long sleeves even in the hot weather. 

I agree with this statement Ms. Alderman have said, "Once in a while there will be cases in which piercing and/or tattoos do fit the definition of self-injury." but there are also distinctions and differences to consider whether tattoos and piercings should be proclaimed as an act to  harm one's self or not.

Furthermore, I have read this article by Mr. Christian Jarret of Reader's Digest entitled Tattoos, body piercings and self-harm - is there a link?. This article encloses the research done by German psychologists, Aglaja Stirn and Andreas Hinz, both researchers of Reader's Digest . They collaborated with the body modification magazine called Taetowiermagazin hiring 432 of their readers to answer a comprehensive questionnaire about their tattooing and piercing practices and motives. The number of participants that admitted to have harmed themselves in their childhood. That is 27%  of the participants who have joined the survey. Thus, the self harmers have reported that they had their body tattooed and/or pierced to help overcome a negative experience or simply to experience physical pain and not have the scars. They also said that their tattoos and piercings have helped them cease their self harming. 

I'd like to quote this important statement Mr. Jarrett wrote based on the research done by Stirn and Hinz, "However, because body modifications have become so common and accessible, they are also used with probably increasing frequency as a convenient means to either realise psychopathological inclinations, such as self-injury, or to overcome psychological traumas." Tattoos and piercings helped some people overcome their self harming and I think that's a good thing. It helped them express them self in a form of art at the same time freeing them from the chains of self harming.