Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
CURRENT APPROACHES IN PSYCHIATRY, cilt.16, sa.2, ss.306-316, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
Despite the increasing interest in self-harm behaviors after 1980, comprehensive approaches regarding the
definition, classification, reasons for preference, and motivations that sustain such behaviors have not been
established. This situation has led individuals who engage in self-harm behaviors to encounter negative attitudes
and behaviors such as stigmatization and unqualified service provision. In order to minimize negative attitudes
and behaviors, all professional groups who are in contact with individuals engaging in self-harm behaviors need
to consider their own personal, cultural, political, and intellectual backgrounds. The aim of the current study is to
discuss the ambiguity, fluidity, and permeability of the boundaries between pathologically classified self-harm
behaviors and socio-cultural or artistically approved self-harming acts. In this regard, definitions of self-harm
behaviors have been critically evaluated to encourage awareness of the socially constructed nature of self-injury
and to call for reflective practices. Self-harming acts embedded in literary texts, cultural practices, and art
performances have been explored for this purpose. As a result, there are multiple individual and cultural meanings
attached to what self-harm is, and no meaning takes precedence over the other because all meanings are
historically and culturally relative. When this relativity, contextuality, and fluidity are understood, it will be
realized that self-harm behaviors are not marginal but even common human experiences. This awareness can
enable reflective and empathic practices that are important in increasing individuals’ self-care capacities and
enhancing their well-being in self-harm behaviors.
Keywords: Self-harming behavior, critical perspective, culture, art