Deviance as an historical artefact: a scoping review of psychological studies of body modification
Abstract Body modification is a blanket term for tattooing, piercing, scarring, cutting, and other forms of bodily alteration generally associated with fashion, identity, or cultural markings. Body modifications like tattooing and piercing have become so common in industrialised regions of the world...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01511-6 |
| _version_ | 1811175916893634560 |
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| author | Rebecca Owens Steven J. Filoromo Lauren A. Landgraf Christopher D. Lynn Michael R. A. Smetana |
| author_facet | Rebecca Owens Steven J. Filoromo Lauren A. Landgraf Christopher D. Lynn Michael R. A. Smetana |
| author_sort | Rebecca Owens |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Body modification is a blanket term for tattooing, piercing, scarring, cutting, and other forms of bodily alteration generally associated with fashion, identity, or cultural markings. Body modifications like tattooing and piercing have become so common in industrialised regions of the world that what were once viewed as marks of abnormality are now considered normal. However, the psychological motivations for body modification practices are still being investigated regarding deviance or risky behaviours, contributing to a sense in the academic literature that body modifications are both normal and deviant. We explored this inconsistency by conducting a scoping review of the psychological literature on body modifications under the assumption that the psychological and psychiatric disciplines set the standard for related research. We searched for articles in available online databases and retained those published in psychology journals or interdisciplinary journals where at least one author is affiliated with a Psychology or Psychiatry programme (N = 94). We coded and tabulated the articles thematically, identifying five categories and ten subcategories. The most common category frames body modifications in general terms of risk, but other categories include health, identity, credibility/employability, and fashion/attractiveness. Trends in psychology studies seem to follow the shifting emphasis in the discipline from a clinical orientation regarding normality and abnormality to more complex social psychological approaches. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T19:43:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-02685b00ea1e46b8b1d38fd07833da28 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T19:43:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-02685b00ea1e46b8b1d38fd07833da282023-01-29T12:06:55ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922023-01-0110111010.1057/s41599-023-01511-6Deviance as an historical artefact: a scoping review of psychological studies of body modificationRebecca Owens0Steven J. Filoromo1Lauren A. Landgraf2Christopher D. Lynn3Michael R. A. Smetana4Department of Psychology, University of SunderlandDepartment of Anthropology, Temple UniversityDepartment of Philosophy, University of AlabamaDepartment of Anthropology, University of AlabamaDepartment of Anthropology, University of AlabamaAbstract Body modification is a blanket term for tattooing, piercing, scarring, cutting, and other forms of bodily alteration generally associated with fashion, identity, or cultural markings. Body modifications like tattooing and piercing have become so common in industrialised regions of the world that what were once viewed as marks of abnormality are now considered normal. However, the psychological motivations for body modification practices are still being investigated regarding deviance or risky behaviours, contributing to a sense in the academic literature that body modifications are both normal and deviant. We explored this inconsistency by conducting a scoping review of the psychological literature on body modifications under the assumption that the psychological and psychiatric disciplines set the standard for related research. We searched for articles in available online databases and retained those published in psychology journals or interdisciplinary journals where at least one author is affiliated with a Psychology or Psychiatry programme (N = 94). We coded and tabulated the articles thematically, identifying five categories and ten subcategories. The most common category frames body modifications in general terms of risk, but other categories include health, identity, credibility/employability, and fashion/attractiveness. Trends in psychology studies seem to follow the shifting emphasis in the discipline from a clinical orientation regarding normality and abnormality to more complex social psychological approaches.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01511-6 |
| spellingShingle | Rebecca Owens Steven J. Filoromo Lauren A. Landgraf Christopher D. Lynn Michael R. A. Smetana Deviance as an historical artefact: a scoping review of psychological studies of body modification Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | Deviance as an historical artefact: a scoping review of psychological studies of body modification |
| title_full | Deviance as an historical artefact: a scoping review of psychological studies of body modification |
| title_fullStr | Deviance as an historical artefact: a scoping review of psychological studies of body modification |
| title_full_unstemmed | Deviance as an historical artefact: a scoping review of psychological studies of body modification |
| title_short | Deviance as an historical artefact: a scoping review of psychological studies of body modification |
| title_sort | deviance as an historical artefact a scoping review of psychological studies of body modification |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01511-6 |
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