Stories of self harm : a critical approach to the existing evidence base and the proposal of alternative perspectives

Allen, S

Abstract

The initial aim of the study was to consider the health promoting and survival function of self harm.
However, this evolved and became increasingly concerned with the storied lives of people who self harm and in challenging dominant discourses that do not support this endeavour. The issues were considered using aspects of social constructionism and as such embrace the interpretative and provisional nature of knowledge.
The main body of the thesis is divided into three sections, "Going There," "Being There" and "Being Here" (Birch, 1998). "Going There" includes a critical appraisal of the literature prior to discussion of the theoretical underpinnings to the study. In this chapter I endeavoured to present the considerations which underpinned the decision making process with regard to structure and design
of the research study. This leads to the next section, "Being There" (Birch, 1998).
At this stage in the thesis, the aim to be convincing is pursued with an overview of the practicalities of undertaking the research. Meaning is proposed in the exploration of the stories using elements of psychoanalytic theory and a voice-centred relational method (Mauthner and Doucet 1998). Attention then revolves around the participants, their narratives and reflective points which emerged for me during the study.
"Being Here" centres on the ideas which emerged as a result of the research, and where links are made with existing theory. These can be summarised as concerns regarding the participants' relationships with others and the self, in conjunction with a critical appraisal of the existing
knowledge base. My own reflexive points are then offered and in the final chapter, implications for practice are considered. These are based on the emerging ideas and illustrate the benefits of using narrative and an eclectic approach to meaning making.

Citation

Allen, S. Stories of self harm : a critical approach to the existing evidence base and the proposal of alternative perspectives. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 3, 2012
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2009