This study, conducted by Bridget Conlon in 2003, addresses the issue of self-harm behavior in relation to social isolation. Self-injury is a deeply studied and still much-needed topic. Such primitive and unusual behavior directed at oneself cannot be explained solely by social isolation; it is likely an effect that amplifies and intensifies an already existing primitive mechanism.
Durkheim (1951), in his studies on suicide, found that social isolation plays a significant role in individuals' self-destructive behavior. Social isolation is the opposite of social support.
That is, social support corresponds to sociability. Social isolation leads to bodily destructive behaviors for two reasons. The first is that, by living in isolation, distancing from society, and being deprived of social support, an individual can fall into depression more rapidly.
Here, what is meant by social support are needs such as attention, care, love, feeling important, and being made to feel important, all of which are severely interrupted. Since the individual’s existence is dependent on the existence and interaction of the other, when the flow from the other is cut off, the question arises: "Who am I, according to whom am I?"
The other point is that social support serves as a buffer between the individual and their depression.
Just as a person who is socially isolated is considered abnormal, being deprived of social support means the individual perceives small problems more intensely, and these small problems can become permanent.
Isolated individuals resort to unconventional methods when facing life’s problems, such as self-harm (Harry, 1983).
Social relationships and communication are necessary for the development of the self and the organization of the self. In other words, social communication and social support play a significant role in structuring the self.
According to Stryker’s (1980) identity theory, individuals living in isolation have fewer behavioral guidelines than others, leading to a lack of identity and inadequacy.
Self-injury is often associated with emotional deviance. This emotional deviance is increasingly intensified and becomes permanent due to the effect of social isolation. A study showed that individuals who self-harm have experienced depressive symptoms in their recent past. Could it be that the isolation caused by these depressive symptoms leads to such primal and untraditional reactions as self-harm?
Research has found that increased isolation leads to more self-harming behaviors.
In conclusion, it has been shown that social isolation increases self-harm behavior, and depressive symptoms associated with social isolation further exacerbate self-harm behavior, particularly in adolescents.
There is a weakness in the identity identification process in self-harm behavior, and due to the lack of guidelines to influence and direct the individual's behavior, emotional deviance is experienced.
Self-injury is most commonly seen in individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, and it is related to these individuals' relational problems and the social isolation resulting from the instability of their object relations.
Additionally, in some cases of eating disorders, self-harm behavior is observed. Since these individuals with body image issues are more likely to experience social isolation compared to typical individuals, the relationship between self-harm behavior and social isolation is further strengthened.
