Tattooing and Identity

Tattooing and Piercing: Initiation Rites and Masculine Development

“…Hamburger (1966) argues that the primary reason that prison inmates undergo tattooing is to reinforce a sense of group membership in individuals whose self-identity is weak or diffused. Edgerton and Dingman (1963) support the view that 'self-identification' is the central function of tattooing. On the whole, though, these authors have little to say about the unconscious motivation behind body modification beyond a shared view that it is related in some way to a search for identity.…”

“…The three key elements of inflictor, initiate and audience were all present during the workshops, and the stoic acceptance of pain on the part of the volunteer was invariably greeted with approval. This view is supported by that of Edgerton and Dingman (1963) who also see the endurance of pain as an important element in proving the right to belong to a certain group. Further support comes from a powerful exposition on the role of pain in rites of passage ceremonies provided by Pierre Clastres (1987) in his essay 'Of torture in primitive societies'.…”

Ouch! – a logotherapeutic discourse of butch and tattooed in China

“…As an extension of the qualities of individuals and their social relationships with others, the appearance and the bearing of the displaying group was an ''external reflection of inner moral condition'' (Wolman, 1989, p. 124). Edgerton and Dingham (1963) posited that the establishment of identity is the most prevalent motivation for tattooing in contemporary society. They claimed that ''a tattooed person is identifying himself to others; he is communicating something about a relationship with other persons or things that he believes he possesses, or wishes to possess, or wishes other to believe he possesses'' (p. 145).…”

“…Other than clothing, tattooing serves as another expression of ''subcultural capital'' (Thornton, 1996). In many senses, tattooing is being reinterpreted as a practice of self-definition (Edgerton and Dingham, 1963) and a symbol of masculinity (Steward, 1990). Blanchard (1994) asserted that women are more interested in the cosmetic aspects of tattooing, whereas men use tattooing to assert their identity.…”

Tattooing as a Psychic Defence Mechanism

“…Strangely enough the inmates of the correctional facility who were tattooed in the prison implied that it served not only to join the group, but also as a defiance of the authorities who prohibit this type of activity. DISCUSSION Edgerton (1) suggests that tattooing fulfils a psychic need in the ego development of those persons who run into difficulty synthesizing their identity. According to Erikson~2~, in the adolescent stage of ego development, a psychosocial crisis of identity synthesis occurs.…”