Afflictions of The Soul: The Truth Behind Self-Injury
Copyright, Lauren Morante
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Conclusion: “Where Do We Go From Here?”
Self-injury is seen as many things. Coping mechanism, communications device, self-isolator and above all, not a part of society. Part of the problem is that no-one knows, or chooses to ignore the fact that there are thousands, possibly millions of self-harmers in the world, all crying out for aid. And being left unheard.
I have come to the conclusion that because of the lack of information about it in the micro and macro worlds, and the lag in social awareness and acceptance, self-injury is stereotyped, categorized, and tagged as the abnormal, sucidal thing to do. Through my studies I have found that those who self-harm do so to escape intense, emotional turmoil, and they feel isolated and cut-off from the rest of society because they believe that they are alone, and that no one else would ever intentionally inflict damage upon themselves.
Throughout this PIP I have investigated all aspects of self-injury using various methods. I enjoyed the interviews via the net, because it allowed the participants to speak freely to me without any fear of repercussions. Sometimes a stranger is the best person you can talk to. Nothing can ever be smooth sailing however, as I found myself in the middle of an ethical crisis. Three people that I had interviewed had gone off afterwards and self-injured. As I said in the begining, this issue is a controversial topic. Thankfully, the three interviewees are happier and healthier, as they have all decided to end their afflictions.
I didn’t end up distributing a survey, as again, ethical considerations came into play. It would have meant distributing these surveys at my high school, and I don’t believe that any student would be comfortable with me knowing something like this about them. Which is perfectly understandable.
However, I was quite satisfied with the interviews and secondary research data I collected, as the answers and information given and accumulated made up for more than the majority of this assessment. I learnt how one handles someone they know who self-harms, with non-judgemental, respectful attitudes. I devised a theory on the need for the continuation of self-harm, and likened it to a drug addiction. I discovered how to look for the signs on self-harmers such as social withdrawl, isolation and wearing long sleeved clothing during the summer months.
My aim for this assignment was to create awareness for those who read it, about this particular condition. Self-injury is not an attention seeking attempt. If left unaided, it can lead to clinical and severe depression, anxiety disorders and even suicide. I lost a good friend of mine to this, during the course of this assessment. She was afraid, scared out of her mind about what those in her micro world would think. “Who would think of doing such a horrible thing?”
A lot of people. Surprisingly enough. Who would have thought?
And that case study of the girl in Arizona? She’s fine now. Blind, but alive.
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