title: Investigating the "self" in deliberate self-harm.
abstract: In this study, the authors explored how a group of young people aged 16 to 26 years (who identified themselves as having engaged in deliberate self-harm) made sense of the self by conducting two online focus groups and four e-mail interviews. They analyzed data using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The concept of validation was the primary means of making sense of the self and concerned the desire to be considered legitimate and of worth. This desire was clearly evident across three realms of conflict: (a) the intrinsic or extrinsic self, which marked the distinction between objective fact and subjective opinion; (b) the accepted or denied self; and (c) the notion of normality. It is possible that having one's denied self validated online might lead to an exacerbation of an individual's self-harming behavior. Further work is needed to explore the effects of online discussion forums on such taboo forms of behavior.
authors.affiliation: Child & Family Consultation Service, South Essex NHS Trust, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rodham
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gavin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004532:Ego; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D036301:Qualitative Research; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012647:Self-Assessment; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012933:Social Identification