Abstract
Despite the fact that adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has garnered a good deal of attention in the recent clinical and empirical literature, our conceptualization of this behavior continues to rely on an individualistic framework. Expanding the current theoretical model to include perspectives that focus on social context and constructed meaning is necessary, especially given the importance that the peer group and social context have for this age group. This paper proposes a theoretical framework that combines Symbolic Interactionism with Social Learning Theory in an effort to broaden our understanding of NSSI among adolescents. Implications and recommendations for social work practice are then discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bandura, A. (1978). The self system in reciprocal determinism. American Psychologist, 33(4), 344–358.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W.H. Freeman.
Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Carr, E. G. (1977). The motivation of self-injurious behavior: A review of some hypotheses. Psychological Bulletin, 84(4), 800–816. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.84.4.800.
Carroll, L., & Anderson, R. (2002). Body piercing, tattooing, self-esteem, and body investment in adolescent girls. Adolescence, 37(147), 627.
Connors, R. (1996). Self-injury in trauma survivors: 1. Functions and meanings. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 66(2), 197.
Corcoran, P., Reulbach, U., Perry, I. J., & Arensman, E. (2010). Suicide and deliberate self harm in older Irish adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 22(8), 1327–1336. doi:10.1017/S1041610210001377.
Deiter, P. J., & Nicholls, S. S. (2000). Self-injury and self capacities: Assisting an individual in crisis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56(9), 1173–1191.
Evans, E., Hawton, K., & Rodham, K. (2005). In what ways are adolescents who engage in self-harm or experience thoughts of self-harm different in terms of help-seeking, communication and coping strategies? Journal of Adolescence, 28(4), 573–587. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2004.11.001.
Favazza, A. R. (2011). Bodies under siege. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Favazza, A. R., & Rosenthal, R. J. (1990). Varieties of pathological self-mutilation. Behavioral Neurology, 3, 77–85.
Feldman, M. D. (1988). The challenge of self-mutilation: A review. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 29(3), 252–269.
Fortune, S., Sinclair, J., & Hawton, K. (2008). Help-seeking before and after episodes of self-harm: A descriptive study in school pupils in England. BMC Public Health, 8, 369–381.
Garisch, J. A., & Wilson, M. S. (2010). Vulnerabilities to deliberate self-harm among adolescents: The role of alexithymia and victimization. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 49(2), 151–162.
Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Gunderson, J. G. (1984). Borderline personality disorder. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric.
Hawton, K., Rodham, K., Evans, E., & Harriss, L. (2009). Adolescents who self harm: A comparison of those who go to hospital and those who do not. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 14(1), 24–30. doi:10.1111/j.1475-3588.2008.00485.x.
Heath, N. L., Schaub, K., Holly, S., & Nixon, M. K. (2009). Self-injury today: Review of clinical studies in adolescents. In M. K. Nixon & N. L. Heath (Eds.), Self-injury in youth: The essential guide to assessment and intervention (pp. 9–27). New York: Routledge.
Hebebrand, J., & Buitelaar, J. (2011). On the way to DSM-V. Springer Science & Business Media B.V. doi:10.1007/s00787-010-0157-x.
Jacobson, C. M., & Gould, M. (2007). The epidemiology and phenomenology of non-suicidal self-injurious behavior among adolescents: A critical review of the literature. Archives of Suicide Research, 11(2), 129–147. doi:10.1080/13811110701247602.
Kernberg, O. (1967). Borderline personality disorder. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 15, 641–685.
Lloyd, E. E. (1998). Doctoral dissertation, Louisiana State University, 1998. Dissertation Abstracts International, 58, 5127.
Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Perrine, N. D., Dierker, L., & Kelley, M. L. (2007). Characteristics and functions of non-suicidal self-injury in a community sample of adolescents. Psychological Medicine, 37(8), 1183–1192.
Mead, G. H., & Morris, C. W. (1934). Mind, self & society from the standpoint of a social behaviorist. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Mead, G. H., Morris, C. W., Brewster, J. M., Dunham, A. M., & Miller, D. L. (1938). The philosophy of the act. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago press.
Menninger, K. A. (1938, 1956). Man against himself. New York: Harcourt, Brace.
Nishida, A., Sasaki, T., Nishimura, Y., Tanii, H., Hara, N., Inoue, K., et al. (2010). Psychotic-like experiences are associated with suicidal feelings and deliberate self-harm behaviors in adolescents aged 12–15 years. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 121(4), 301–307. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01439.x.
Nock, M. K., & Favazza, A. R. (2009). Nonsuicidal self-injury: Definition and classification. In M. K. Nock (Ed.), (pp. 9–18). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/11875-001.
Nock, M. K., Holmberg, E. B., Photos, V. I., & Michel, B. D. (2007). Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors interview: Development, reliability, and validity in an adolescent sample. Psychological Assessment, 19(3), 309–317. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.19.3.309.
Nock, M. K., & Prinstein, M. J. (2005). Contextual features and behavioral functions of self-mutilation among adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 114(1), 140–146. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.114.1.140.
Olfson, M., Marcus, S. C., & Bridge, J. A. (2012). Emergency treatment of deliberate self-harm. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(1), 80–88. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.108.
Podvoll, E. M. (1969). Self-mutilation within a hospital setting: A study of identity and social compliance. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 42(3), 213–221. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8341.1969.tb02073.x.
Scoliers, G., Portzky, G., Madge, N., Hewitt, A., Hawton, K., de Wilde, E. J., et al. (2009). Reasons for adolescent deliberate self-harm: A cry of pain and/or a cry for help? Findings from the child and adolescent self-harm in Europe (CASE) study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 44(8), 601–607. doi:10.1007/s00127-008-0469-z.
Sim, L., Adrian, M., Zeman, J., Cassano, M., & Friedrich, W. N. (2009). Adolescent deliberate self-harm: Linkages to emotion regulation and family emotional climate. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 19(1), 75–91. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2009.00582.x.
Suyemoto, K. L. (1998). The functions of self-mutilation. Clinical Psychology Review, 18(5), 531–554.
Suyemoto, K. L., & MacDonald, M. L. (1995). Self-cutting in female adolescents. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 32(1), 162–171. doi:10.1037/0033-3204.32.1.162.
Van der Kolk, B. A., Perry, J. C., & Herman, J. L. (1991). Childhood origins of self-destructive behavior. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 1665–1671.
Walsh, B. W. (2006). Treating self-injury: A practical guide. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Wheatley, M., & Austin-Payne, H. (2009). Nursing staff knowledge and attitudes towards deliberate self-harm in adults and adolescents in an inpatient setting. Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapy, 37(3), 293–309. doi:10.1017/S1352465809005268.
Young, R., Sweeting, H., & West, P. (2006). Prevalence of deliberate self harm and attempted suicide within contemporary Goth youth subculture: Longitudinal cohort study. British Medical Journal, 332(7549), 1058–1061.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
LeCloux, M. Understanding the Meanings Behind Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: Are We Missing the Boat?. Clin Soc Work J 41, 324–332 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-012-0417-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-012-0417-y