In the past, we might have heard of stories about people who slit their wrist or cut their skin. To some, it may appear that these kind of persons just want to grab some piece of attention. Others might abhor even just the thought of seeing someone’s blood flow from the self-inflicted wound. And of course, there are also people who would not give a second of their precious time to concern themselves regarding such a matter. We can only imagine about the pain that they are going through – physically and emotionally.
The seething pain that slowly creeps to their sensory receptors definitely accumulates, so what might be the possible causes for deciding to do such an act? Here are some of the plausible reasons that are suggested in the literature: a) it serves as a diversion from emotional distress (Winchel & Stanley,1991), b) aids in the regulation of negative e motions, c) helps in reducing unpleasant feelings of dissociation which leads to a feeling of being normal among self-injurers (Brown, Comtois, & Linehan, 2002). It must be noted, however that there could be differences in the meanings of pain as perceived by people who do not injure themselves than those who do (Hooley, Ho, Slater, and Lockshin, 2010).
How do we know what pain truly is and how could it possibly be measured? According to Tracey (2008) as cited by Hooley, Ho, Slater, and Lockshin (2010), pain refers to the “subjective and complex experience that involves the interpretation of nociceptive input” (p. 171). Measurement of pain can be determined through the measures of pain threshold and pain tolerance. Pain threshold can be defined as the minimum degree to which a person perceives or consciously experiences the pain-inducing stimulus (e.g. cold, pressure, heat). On the other hand, Hooley, Ho, Slater, and Lockshin (2010) operationalized the term pain tolerance as the duration of the time that a participant is able to endure the pain. It can be computed by subtracting the pain threshold from obtained time.
In a study about persons with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), Hooley, Ho, Slater, and Lockshin (2010) hypothesized that persons who have higher pain threshold have a greater tendency to commit actions that inflict pain. Morever, they also hypothesized that engaging in behaviors that involve self-injury for a long time could result to an increase in the pain threshold. The experimenters utilized a pressure algometer which exerts focal pressure. The participants’ finger was put under the apparatus’ hinge and was then instructed to tap a switch when he/she already feels pain and when he/she can no longer tolerate the pain that was induced. It was shown in their results that individuals who injure themselves indeed have higher pain thresholds (able to bear the pain for a longer duration) than those persons who do not. There is also a positive correlation between being an NSSI individual (nonsuicidal self-injury) and the length of time that they have been inflicting pain on themselves. Hooley, Ho, Slater, and Lockshin (2010) suggested that this might be due to habituation (response to a specific stimuli decreases upon repeated exposure).
The horrifying truth that there are persons who judge themselves more negatively than others do and that they resort to engage in self-injuring should increase our awareness and concern for them. If you know someone is one, perhaps it would be helpful to talk to him. He/she might need a friend that could console him in times of sheer despair. Better yet, you could refer him to a psychologist. It is never too late.
REFERENCES:
Brown, M. Z., Comtois, K. A., & Linehan, M. M. (2002). Reasons for suicide attempts and nonsuicidal self-injury in women with borderline personality disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 111, 198–202.
Hooley, J. M., Ho, D. T., Slater, J. & Lockshin, A. (2010). Pain Perception and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: A Laboratory Investigation. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 3, 170-179.
Winchel, R. M., & Stanley, M. (1991). Self injurious behavior: A review of the behavior and biology of self-mutilation. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 306–317.
(Jeni)
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