THE
LEARNING
CURVE
Attaining Peace? Exploring self-harm behaviour in religious and nonreligious contexts
Author(s): Sanyukta Golaya
Keywords: self-harm, religion, inner peace, culture, qualitative research.
Abstract: Self-harm behaviour which is prevalent among various cultural/religious groups is considered to be normative and is viewed as an attempt to attain inner peace, contentment and relief. On the other hand, similar behaviour among individuals engaging in it for ‘non-religious’ purposes tends to be stigmatized and viewed as psychopathological. The present study sought to compare and contrast self-harm practices performed in religious and non-religious contexts, in terms of its emotional, physiological and situational antecedents and consequences. Self-harm behaviour in Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu religious texts was examined, and in-depth qualitative interviews were carried out with four young adults who had previously engaged in self-harm. Data obtained from both sources was thematically analysed, and it was observed that both practices are similar with respect to their goals and perceived affective outcomes: by providing the person with a cathartic experience, irrespective of the context, such behaviour aims to restore inner peace and enable the individual to seek psychological repentance. However, important differences were also observed, particularly with respect to the ‘lasting’ effects of the relief that is obtained. The study seeks to open up a dialogue about the coping value of self-harm behaviour both in religious and non-religious contexts, subsequently reduce the taboo associated with such activity, and facilitate psycho-education for alternatives to achieve psychological relief.