Tattoos as a Window to the Mind: Is the “Body Graffiti” Skin Deep or Deeper?

Abstract

Tattoos and other forms of body modification have been practiced by mankind for thousands of years. The last 100 years or so, have witnessed a substantial rise in the prevalence of these phenomena. They served different purposes throughout our history, and society’s reaction to them have also changed from experimenting, banning and stigmatizing to acceptance and tolerance. Tattoos were employed to deter evil spirits, to identify tribe members and identify royalty. Their status descended to low levels of becoming a tool to mark slaves, prisoners and criminals. In modern society they became glorified at times or not so glamorous when they cause some serious medical complications. Psychiatrists and psychologists and allied professionals grasped the opportunity of this change and launched their investigative instincts to try and understand the motivation behind them. They are also trying to see if they can establish a link between these phenomena and psychological disorders especially that they easily lend themselves to this enterprise. So far some findings e.g. alcohol &, substance use disorders, impulsivity, risk-taking behavior, self-harm and personality disorders, association with deviance and criminality are increasingly being accepted as reasons for further study.