Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
6201
Date
2018
Date of Award
11-13-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Major
Sociology
Committee Chair
Carol Rambo
Committee Member
Wesley James
Committee Member
Gretchen Peterson
Abstract
Eleven in-depth life history interviews with respondents who identified as former self-injurers and a thematic analysis of the existing qualitative literature on self-injury constitute the data for this research. Self-injury, a growing public health concern, has typically been framed by researchers as an individual level, psychological, phenomenon with largely negative connotations. Edgework, a theoretical orientation which has been used to explain voluntary risk-taking such as skydiving and mountain climbing, has been applied to the activity of self-injury. The interviews and qualitative research on self-injury were coded for the presence of edgework as a vocabulary of motive. Framed as edgework, this distinctly sociological approach casts self-injury as a socially produced phenomenon which can be viewed as a reaction to oversocialization/alienation, a way to regulate negative internal conversation, a bid for self-actualization, realization, and determination, and more. Through edgework theory, self-injury can be understood to “make sense” at times.
Library Comment
dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.
Recommended Citation
Gaines, Victoria Lynn, "The Social Side of "Borderline:" Edgework in the Narrative Accounts of Self-injurers" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1838.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/1838
Comments
Data is provided by the student.