| Self-injury has become pervasive in the United States and the problem continues to grow (Conterio & Lader, 1998). Research in the area of self-injury suggests a wide variety of motivational themes, including such categories as self-control and self-punishment. This dissertation evaluates the broad array of existing literature, in an effort to clarify and reconcile competing notions about the motivational aspects of self-injury and phenomenological experiences associated with self-injury. With such an array of motivational models, this dissertation applies the most promising ones proposed by Conterio and Lader and Suyemoto (1998) to a case of self-injury that provides rich historical and phenomenological data. This effort helps to clarify some conceptual distinctions among the models, and some of the advantages of various motivational understandings.;Conterio and Lader's (1998) model focuses on the more general themes of emotional pain reduction and efforts at control evident in the case example, while Suyemoto's (1998) model emphasizes the way that complex internal states and aims interact, reinforce, and trigger one another. When integrating Suyemoto's detailed approach with Conterio and Lader's higher order model, it is possible to trace salient motivational changes across and within episodes of self-injury. By understanding the internal experience of a self-injurer, we can enhance empathy and treatment in relation the self-injuring population. |
