Citation

Abbas MJ, Mohanna MA, Diab TA, Chikoore M, Wang M. Behav. Cognit. Psychother. 2018; 46(2): 209-225.

Affiliation

Clinical Psychology Unit,University of Leicester,Centre for Medicine.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/S135246581700042X

PMID

28625205

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is a gap in understanding the meaning and motives behind suicidal behaviour. Using the Ideal Type methodology, Jean Baechler systematically examined the internal logic of suicidal and self-harming behaviours. He developed a typology of eleven typical meanings/motives: Flight, Grief, Self-punishment, Vengeance, Crime, Blackmail, Appeal, Sacrifice, Transfiguration, Ordeal and Game. AIMS: To develop and validate a standardized instrument to measure the motives/meanings of suicidal and self-harming behaviours, using Baechler's typology.

METHOD: We developed a self-fill Likert questionnaire (Ideal Typical Meaning Questionnaire, ITMQ) covering ten of Baechler's eleven types. The questionnaire was completed by 147 patients within four weeks of attempting suicide or self-harm. The Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R) questionnaire was used to examine the concurrent validity of the Flight and the Transfiguration types and to explore the association between suicidal/self-harming motives and views about death.

RESULTS: The final 25-item ITMQ has an eight-factor structure (Appeal/Blackmail, Ordeal/Game, Vengeance, Self-punishment, Sacrifice, Flight, Grief and Transfiguration) supporting Baechler's theory. The types have adequate reliability. Correlations with the DAP-R gave some support for the concurrent validity of the Flight and Transfiguration types.

CONCLUSIONS: The ITMQ is a measure of suicidal and self-harming motives/meanings based on a sound conceptual framework and could significantly contribute to the understanding of suicidal and self-harming behaviour in research and clinical settings.

Language: en

Keywords

meaning of self-harm; meaning of suicide; motives; self-harm; suicide; types of suicide