Tattoos as a Window to the Mind: Is the “Body Graffiti” Skin Deep or Deeper?
Journal Title: International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience - Year 2018, Vol 20, Issue 1
Abstract
Tattoos and other forms of body modification have been practiced by mankind for thousands of years. The last 100 years or so, have witnessed a substantial rise in the prevalence of these phenomena. They served different purposes throughout our history, and society’s reaction to them have also changed from experimenting, banning and stigmatizing to acceptance and tolerance. Tattoos were employed to deter evil spirits, to identify tribe members and identify royalty. Their status descended to low levels of becoming a tool to mark slaves, prisoners and criminals. In modern society they became glorified at times or not so glamorous when they cause some serious medical complications. Psychiatrists and psychologists and allied professionals grasped the opportunity of this change and launched their investigative instincts to try and understand the motivation behind them. They are also trying to see if they can establish a link between these phenomena and psychological disorders especially that they easily lend themselves to this enterprise. So far some findings e.g. alcohol &, substance use disorders, impulsivity, risk-taking behavior, self-harm and personality disorders, association with deviance and criminality are increasingly being accepted as reasons for further study.
Authors and Affiliations
Ahmed Yousif Ali
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP582936
- DOI 10.4172/1522-4821.1000388
- Views 59
- Downloads 0
Biomarkers for Identifying Individuals at Risk of Alzheimer Disease
Background: Alzheimer Disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder. Promising preventative strategies includes identification of potential modifiable risk f...
Tattoos as a Window to the Mind: Is the “Body Graffiti” Skin Deep or Deeper?
Tattoos and other forms of body modification have been practiced by mankind for thousands of years. The last 100 years or so, have witnessed a substantial rise in the prevalence of these phenomena. They served different...
An Exploration of Gender Differentials on Availability of Mental Healthcare Services among the Yoruba of Ogun State, Nigeria
The rare level of unmet necessity for mental healthcare services is disturbing in Nigeria. Although studies exist on the availability of mental healthcare services, little attention has been paid to gender differences. T...
Toward More Objective Measures in Psychiatry
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Director, Joshua A. Gordon, has emphasized the need for biomarkers in psychiatry (Gordon, 2018). A biomarker is an objective biological finding associated with a disease. Th...
Quality of Life and Professional Orientation for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Northern Italy: A Case Study
The concept of quality of life is receiving more attention as a tool for evaluating policies and practices aimed at people with disabilities. This case study describes the process of profess...