Citation

Taylor JD, Ibañez LM. Sociol. Compass 2015; 9(12): 1005-1014.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/soc4.12327

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper reviews the burgeoning sociological literature on non-suicidal self-injury, in which individuals intentionally harm themselves by cutting, burning, scratching, or smashing their body parts. We identify challenges to studying self-injury, such as conflicting definitions and categorizations. Comparing self-injury to other behaviors such as suicide, body modification, and self-mutilation, we assert that that non-suicidal self-injury deserves its own conceptual category. We explain how a critical sociological approach provides a valuable counterweight to medical and psychological studies of self-injury. In particular, this paper advances the deviance perspective. Finally, we highlight how technology has allowed self-injurers to build supportive communities in cyberspace, blurring the line between hidden and public acts. We conclude with suggestions for future directions in the study of self-injury. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Language: en