Boys and young men who injure themselves – a biographical and environmental approach

Abstract

Throughout social modernization the story board for «masculinity« has increasingly been extended, also generating a new male «openness for injuries«. Up to now, the mentally disturbed young female seemed to be prototypical for selfabusive or self harming behaviour. However, despite traditional gender discourses, now it seems useful and necessary to focus on changed constructions of masculinity as well, since male injury thickness and self harming are not contradictory. Many boys and young men are «cutting« themselves. They experience mental pain, but also want to be «cool« boys in order to become «real« men. But why is their selfabusive behaviour tabooed? It is because of traditional myths of masculinity, which don't permit male selfinjury. Boys may be aggressive perpetrators but hardly autoaggressive victims. For many boys masculinity is a stress factor. Hence, it is necessary to develop stronger advisory, auxiliary and supportive means in order to cope with these difficult and critical passages of male socialization.