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ANGELES UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION

A Thesis Proposal Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Social Science and

Psychology

College of Arts and Sciences

Angeles University Foundation

Body-Modified Individuals: Their Motivations, Experiences &

Self-concept

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

achelor of Science in Psychology

y!

allesteros" Carlo #$

Ru%en" Ivyl &ale D$

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Background of the study

The human body is not a thing or substance, given, but a continuous creation. The

human body is an energy system. Which is never a complete structure; never

static; is in perpetual inner self-construction and self-destruction; we destroy in

order to make it new. - Norman O. Brown

The human body is a continuous creation s social beings, people are

inclined to do whatever it takes to be heard or to be noticed. long with the

inclination to be noticed, people do different kinds of things in order to e!press

themselves such as" #oining an organi$ation that would support their views%beliefs,

e!pose themselves to arts like singing and dancing as supposed to their passion,

write blogs, and etc.lthough some would be contented in e!pressing themselves

as what the vast ma#ority would do, some people would go to the e!tremes of

altering their bodies.

&t was identified that body modification has been present a very long time ago.

&t was also believed to have been a part of a process for cultural and religious

purposes. s in 'anuel and (heehan)s study *+, tattooing had a long history

even prior to the discovery of a tattooed man embedded in ice, a find that

suggested the practice occurred circa // B.0 *1ademackers 2 (choenthal,

344+. ccording to 1iley and 0ahill *+5, historical references in accordance to

Body rt have shown multiple meanings and uses *such as sign of virility and

courage for the 1omans, added se!ual pleasure for 6ama (utra, etc.

cross time it was not only tattooing that became a trend. There was an

emergence of other kinds of body modification like piercing and other forms of

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body modification were considered such as branding, cutting, binding, inserting

implants to alter appearance and form of the body *7eatherstone, 3444;

(weetman, 3444 as cited in 0arroll 2 nderson, ++.

With the emergence of different types of body modification, a lot of people are

wondering what motivates these individuals to undergo such process. 1esearchers

have conducted studies as to why would individuals go to the e!tent of altering

their bodies. These behaviours can serve a variety of personal, interpersonal, and

social functions such as *a establishing a personal identity or promoting

individuality, *b e!ternali$ing important feelings, *c strengthening self-image, *d

establishing a sense of belonging to a given group, *e e!pressing antisocial

feelings, and *f symboli$ing or remembering an event or e!perience *nderson 2

(ansone, +/ as cited in i$enman 2 8ensen, +. The present study would

like to e!plore on the different motivations in accordance to the body modification

process coming from first-hand e!perience of the participants. (ince this could be

their own side of the story in line with the stereotypes being branded to them by the

society.

midst its rich culture, body modification is being frowned upon by the society

due to the assumption that it is related with deviant behaviors. &t is associated with

risky behaviors and being viewed as symbols of drug abuse and violence *Burger

2 7inkel, ++ as cited 6ahl, ++. 9iven that there are faulty assumptions

misleading the public, negative perceptions resulted from this. case presented by

lbin *+: in his study have shown that his sub#ect *a woman with physical

modifications was being stared at with disgust, and even assumed by her father

)

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as being slutty with all the modifications she has done with her body; while some

are enthused by her. aving this as a sample situation, it can be seen that the

desire to alter the body, whatever the reason may be, can lead to negative

e!periences caused by the stigma of being body-modified. &n this case, the

researchers would like to identify, what are the different e!periences *positive

and%or negative being undergone by the participants prior to their body

modification.

lthough studies have been conducted and concluded that there is no direct

link between having body modifications and having deviant behaviours, it is the

concern of the researchers *of this study to know how individuals with body

modification perceive themselves and if there has been any effect on their self-

concept prior to the process of body modification, alongside with the stigma being

held to them.

lbin *+: mentioned that the

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Theoretical 7ramework

(elf->erification Theory *(>T is a theory developed by William B. (wann 8r.

which proposes that people want others to see them as they see themselves. &t

was suggested by (wann *34?/, 34? as cited in 0hen et al, +: that people

desire verification of their core self-views. This theory focuses on the assumption

that people form self-views so that they can predict what others think of them and

in turn, they would know how to react on them. &t also states that if stable self-

views are essential to human functioning, those who are deprived of them should

be seriously impaired *(wann, 34?/.

(wann *34?/ identified / distinct process to create (elf->erifying (ocial

Worlds" 3 people may construct self-verifying

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The (elf->erification Theory was related in the present study since it covers on

how the self-concept of the body-modified individuals affects the way they want to

be perceived by others. (ince there is a stigma on body modifications, the

participants) negative self-views on themselves help in a way that they create

realistic e!pectations on the way people see them. Thus, it may have little effect on

their self-concept which in turn help them to continue on with their normal lives and

live harmoniously with others. lso, the process of self-verification proves to be

beneficial to the participants since whatever their motivations and e!periences may

be, they could still rise to the occasion and prove to the society that there is more

to them that meets the eye.

efinition of Terms

Body Modification- as technically defined by the Cnline 'erriam-Webster

dictionary, is the intentional alteration of the human body for religious,

aesthetic, or social reasons. ccording to lbin *+:, these are changes

made to the body, either self- induced or by the hand of another, that result

in alterations visible to the unaided eye.

This study aims to e!plore the e!periences of people having multiple Body

'odifications; making it the main variable of the study.

Experience - the conscious events that make up an individual life *'erriam-

Webster, +3/. The study will look into the e!periences our participants

,

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have undergone as they have sub#ected themselves through body

modification.

a Stereotyping &t is a negative phenomenon being e!perienced by

body-modified individuals given the fact that there is a stigma

towards body modifications. ccording to e'ello *+/, (pecific

tattoos or tattoo styles were used to identify group members and

represented a protest against conservative values of the middle

class. Thus, non-tattooed people associated body modification

practices with criminal, aggressive and deviant behaviour *as cited in

Wohlrab et al, +.The present study is concerned with the different e!periences *both

positive and negative that the body-modified individuals go through

prior to the alteration process.

Motivation it is the inner striving conditions variously described as

wishes, desires, needs, drives, and the like.

Motives inner state that energi$es, activates, or moves, and that directs

or channels behaviour toward goals *-.a. Physiological Motives stem directly from the physical needs of the

organism, whose satisfaction is essential to the survival or physical

well-being of the individual or the species" hunger, thirst, elimination,

pain-avoidance, mating, and so on.

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b. Secondary, learned, social, or psychogenic Motives strive for social

acceptance or status.- Berelson 2 (teiner. *34:AAn nventory o! Scienti!ic "indings *pp. +/4-

+A+. D(

This study is concerned with identifying the different factors that motivate

individuals to undergo body modification, and e!plore the different motives

behind such behaviour.

Self-concept is the way people think about themselves. &t is uniEue,

dynamic and evolving. &t is an individual)s perception of self, including self

esteem, body image and ideal self.a. &deal self is the person the individual would like to be, such as a

good, moral, and well respected person.b. 1eal self how the individual really thinks about himself.c. Fublic self what the individual thinks others think of him.

*Sel!#$oncept, 0hapter 35, p. /3:

&t is considered in this study since the researchers would like to identify the

participants) self-concept after to the process of body modification.

(tatement of the Froblem

The goal of this study is to raise social awareness as regards to the true

e!perience of individuals who have undergone body modification. &n

.

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e!ploring their e!periences, the researches would like to identify their

motivations, the different labels being branded to them, and their self-

concept after altering their bodies.

3. What were the factors that motivated the participants to undergo Body

'odificationG+. What were the remarkable e!periences encountered by the participants

after having Body 'odificationsG/. ow did the following affected the participants"

a The positive e!periencesG

b The stigma of being body-modifiedGA. What is the overall (elf-concept of the participants after being body

modifiedG

(ignificance of the (tudy

The present study may help

To e!plore the e!terior e!pressions of interior currents *lbin, +:.

To provide relevant information pertaining to Body 'odifications as more

than skin deep.

To e!plore the e!periences of the Body-modified individuals and clarify

some pre#udices being conceived of them. To gain insights regarding the effect of stereotyping to body-modified

individuals.

/

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To provide ideas to those people who are interested in getting body

modifications.

1eview of the 1elated @iteratures

ccording to a study conducted by lbin *+: as regards to Body

'odification, he has defined it as

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lthough some kinds of modifications are also paving their way to the

people like (carification, Branding and &mplanting, a lot of studies tried to

determine as to why individuals undergo themselves through Body 'odifications. &t

was observed that most of the participants involved adolescents, particularly

0ollege (tudents. study identified a significant relationship between gender and

the intention to get a tattoo; and the significant factor in getting one is self-

e!pression *(chul$, 6arshin 2 Woodiel, +:.

(ome even considered factors such as underlying symptoms of se!ual

abuse, low self-esteem, borderline personality, and disorder of se!uality as body

modifications are being marked as unconscious representations *lbin, +:. &t

was even suggested by 'artin *344 2 Finaire-1eed *344 that alterations may

sometimes be strategic attempts to curry favor with an admired group. side from

group affiliations, personality traits are also being considered to have an impact on

the choice being made by the individual in altering his body *Hathanson, Faulhus 2

Williams, +5.

&n reality, there could be Euite a lot of factors being considered in this matter,

however, it all goes down to what the ma#ority would look at it and how are they

accepting it. nd this is where the stereotypes come into place.

The view of the people with regard to Body 'odification is not really as

pleasant as what people in the ancient times would view it as part of a cultural or

religious process. lot of negativity has been given on this matter in this

generation. &t has always been linked with defiance or negative attitudes and it

could have been a by-product of the results by past researches. @ike what owell

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and his colleagues) *343 research have indicated wherein the tattooed

population demonstrated significantly more impulsive and sensation-seeking

behavior *ula 2 'artin, +3.

Fast researches have also highlighted some several stereotypes about

those with tattoos such as being unsuccess!ul in school, coming !rom bro'en

homes, having an unhappy childhood, rarely attending church, having poor

decision#ma'ing s'ills, usually obtaining body modi!ications while inebriated, and

being easy victim to peer pressure*rmstrong, 344A; 1oberts 2 1yan, ++; @ane,

+A *ula 2 'artin, +3. 0eniceros *344? even implied that as the severity of

the tattoos and piercings increased, all forms of violent behavior increased *'anuel

2 (heehan, +.

There was also an association of tattoos with mental illness. (ince previous

studies empirically associated it with personality disorders *rmstrong, 3443;

0aplan, 6omaroni, 2 1hodes, 344:; 0eniceros, 344?; 'easey, 34+; Fost, 34:?

and psychopathic personality *'c6erracher 2 Watson, 34:4; Iakamoto, et al.,

34:/ *'anuel 2 (heehan, +. &n addition to that, sociologists and other

academics, however, almost invariably describe tattooing as cultural deviance

*tkinson, +/; e'ello, +; 0opes and 7orsyth, 344/; &rwin, +. There are

many reasons for individuals to acEuire or undergo body modification. ccording to

urand 2 Barlow *+, one possible reason for body modification is to gain

attention through displays of e!travagance such as those that are found in people

with histrionic disorder.

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7urthermore, a study that was conducted by @yons and (nyder *344:

described the reasons why college men and women undergo body modification.

7or men, their main reason was to identify what group they are in or affiliating with.

Women, however, rated tattoos and piercing to make themselves more

individuali$ed and se!ual. 0ultural traditions also are a reason on why individuals

undergo such practice. ccording to e'ello *3445, other reasons for body

modification are to carry on cultural traditions. s we can all see, body modification

is becoming mainstream in our society today, but, even though there are a lot of

stigmas and negative sides about body modification, Tigge mann 2 9older

*+: stated that those who are body modified or individuals who possesses such

do see themselves as uniEue, not necessarily in a negative way, but rather in the

domain of having a distinctive appearance.

lthough there were researches, which indicated a correlation of body

modifications with negative or defiant behaviors, there were also studies wherein it

was also empirically proven that there could be no correlation as regards to

alterations being made in the body with defiant behaviors. The authors of a

research entitled (Tattoos and Body Piercings as ndicators o! Adolescent )is'#

Ta'ing Behaviors*concluded that the presence of tattoos and body piercings in

adolescents does not necessarily indicate risk-taking behavior in particular

individuals, however, it should not be taken lightly by parents, teachers and health

care providers *0arroll, 1iffenburgh, 1oberts 2 'yhre, ++. 7orbes *+3 even

suggested that tattoos might not always connotate signs of rebellion or impromptu

actions in drunken states. This was supported by a study conducted by 0oe,

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armon, >erner, and Tonn *344/, which had come to a conclusion that tattoos

generally were not marks of defiance, but rather, primarily were characteri$ed by

collaborative elements particularly among peers *7irmin, Tse, 7oster 2 ngelini,

+?.

'ethodology

1esearch esign

J!ploratory 1esearch design was used in this study since the aim of the study is to

gain information to the lived e!periences of the participants and the phenomena of

which they were motivated to have their bodies modified, and in turn was

stereotyped in the process. ue to its fle!ibility, it was used in order to have a vast

knowledge on how the individuals, who participated in this study, perceive

themselves in line with the views of the society.

'*

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1esearch 'ethod

The method that was chosen for this study was &nterpretative Fhenomenological

nalysis *&F since it gives more emphasis on the oluntary participation is very much

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stressed by the researchers though the participants can withdraw anytime they

wanted to in the study. 7urthermore, the participants of the study will also be

briefed about the study and what will be the Euestions that will be asked to them.

'oreover, the benefits of the study will also be mentioned them and how the

confidentiality of the data and their identity will be kept.

The researchers decided to use semi - structured type of interview for respondent

to be able to e!press his%her Euestions more freely and for the researcher to be

able to ask Euestions in a simple and easy manner. ccording to ayes, *+, a

semi structured interview schedule involves a set of Euestions, which are

phrased in such a way as to allow a respondent to answer relatively openly. The

estimated time of the interview could last up to A5 minutes to 3 hour.

Being

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The participants in this study will be interviewed using semi structured type of

interview. This type of interview was also used for the relevance of the participants

in this study. The number of participants will be determined depending on their

availability and willingness to participate in the study. They were given the freedom

to either withdraw or pursue the participation in the present study.

The researchers have described the criteria for the Eualification of the participants

in the study"

a. &ndividuals having multiple body modifications *such as tattoos, piercings,

branding, scarification etc.b. Freferably body modified individuals with careers, which is not in line with body

modification.

1esearch (ampling

The researchers used a purposive sampling type, which is snowball techniEue.

This techniEue was used for the researchers to be able to gain access to their

connections and acEuaintances in the present study. This could help the

researchers in obtaining the essential data needed for the study.

1esearch Tool

The researchers will be using semi structured interview as their tool in obtaining

the information that they need. The researchers will be preparing a Euestionnaire

but they would focus more on the schedule of the interview and use them as their

guide for the interview instead of dictating on the participants.

Building rapport will be the initial ob#ective of the researchers.

'-

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The Euestions will be followed but it can be altered depending on the

respondent)s answer. The interviewer can freely probe and tackle interesting topics, which arise

during the interview. There could be a free flow of seEuence in the interview depending on the

interviewee)s interest and concern.

1apport will be prioriti$ed by the researchers to enhance and for them to be able

to gain the trust and build a relationship with the interviewee. When rapport is

built, then the researchers can have a wider and clearer understanding about the

respondent)s interests and concerns. (emi structured interview was used in this

study for the researchers to have a more comfortable type of interview and for the

respondents to be able to talk more freely. The type of interview which will be

used will be in depth type of interview. dded by Breakwell, *344 researchers

will be able to follow up on their interview in e!tracting the meaningful ones also to

constructively use their own knowledge and e!perience to dig out relevant

content. They were useful to e!plore the way in which individuals construct the

meaning behind their actions, and to access more specific and comple!

information. They also allow voices that may be silenced in group situations to

emerge *Hichols 2 7oster, +5.

(cope and @imitations of the (tudy

The scope of this study is about people who have undergone multiple body

modifications. The researchers focused on their motivations on getting their

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bodies modified, the significant e!periences they have encountered after

undergoing body modification, and their self concept prior to the alteration of

their bodies. Cn the other hand, the limitation of this study is that the researchers

did not include what is their self concept before undergoing body modification

and the degree of their inclination to such practice.

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