Blogs, identity, stigma and scars: the legacy of self-injury

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the experience of living with scars from self-injury; how people who self-injure (SI) make meaning of their scars and how these scars are a part of the identity construction process.

Design/methodology/approach

It is observed that 60 entries, from 25 online narrative blogs detailing the experience of living with self-injury scars, were analyzed using a contextualized thematic analysis informed by an embodied perspective.

Findings

The analysis generated two dominant themes: temporal aspects of identity; and social stigma and scars.

Originality/value

Far-reaching consequences of self-injury scars on the daily lives of people who SI was found. This included a person’s posture, clothing, choices of career, inclusion in family life, leisure activities and relationships; all of which have corollaries in emotional and psychological well-being. Scars were found to be self-narrative with particular salience given to how scars represented healing. Novel findings included the central role scars played in the resistance of self-injury stigma.

Citation

Kendall, N., MacDonald, C. and Binnie, J. (2021), "Blogs, identity, stigma and scars: the legacy of self-injury", Mental Health Review Journal, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 258-278. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-06-2020-0041