The Social Transformation of Self-Injury

This research offers a description and analysis of the relatively hidden practice self-injury: cutting, burning, branding, bone breaking. Drawing on over 150 in-depth interviews tens thousands website postings, e-mail communications, Internet groups, we challenge psycho-medical depiction this phenomenon discuss ways that contemporary sociological self-injury has evolved to images population, etiology, practice, social meanings associated with behavior. We conclude by suggesting self-injury, for some, is in process undergoing moral passage from realm medicalized voluntarily chosen deviant behavior which participants’ actions may be understood greater understanding factors contribute prevalence these actions.