Citation

Chandler A, Myers F, Platt S. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2011; 41(1): 98-109.

Affiliation

Amy Chandler, Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK; Fiona Myers, Department of Sociology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Stephen Platt, Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1943-278X.2010.00003.x

PMID

21309828

Abstract

This article presents a sociologically informed critique of a range of academic literatures relating to self-injury. It is noted how a lack of consensus on definitional issues, together with the inaccurate portrayal of the "typical self-injurer" in the clinical literature, has impeded the development of a sound understanding of self-injury. Some of the more problematic explanations for self-injury are explored. The individualistic focus of existing research is found to be inadequate, since it fails to account for the social context in which self-injury occurs. Social scientific approaches critically examine psychiatric and psychological constructions of self-injury, explore wider social and cultural meanings of the behavior, and examine its distribution across different social groups. The inclusion of social scientific perspectives into current debates will greatly improve understanding of self-injury.

Language: en