| The current study examined ideological representations of the female body within Western culture with a particular focus towards exploring questions of the gendered body and its role within self-injury. Through phenomenological interviewing, the primary investigator sought to understand women's lived experiences of self-injury and their relationships to their bodies. Isolated and collective analysis of the 2 narratives resulted in the emergence of shared critical themes, including: a sense of body socialized, a sense of body genderized, a sense of body objectified, a sense of body medicalized, a sense of voicelessness, a disparaged body---self, a disembodied body---self, a self divorced from human connection, a sense of reclaimed agency, and a sense of reclaimed embodiment. Drawing upon humanistic-existential and feminist conceptualizations of embodiment and gender, the primary investigator provides discussion of the results and proposes a relationship between the female and the role of her body as a voice. With efforts to contribute to preceding scientific and literary works, clinical implications of the study's findings are discussed alongside suggestions for future areas of research. |
