Self-Destructive Behavior - Essay Example

Inserts His/her Inserts Inserts Grade (21, 07, Self Destructive Behavior Introduction James was trying to resist shouting but the pain was obvious on his face. His bloody fingers were holding the item he choose to punish himself with; a blade. He was trying not to scream but the pain was too much. He was holding his thigh tightly and his eyes were closed. James had used the blade to cut the inner parts of his thigh. It was not some weird teenage experiment rather James is used to do this. He keeps on hurting himself regularly. James is a normal teenager with normal problems but still he inflicts such wounds on his body that even hurts him. Self destructive behavior is a major problem in teenagers and there is no one reason for such behavior. It may be because some people are narcissists and some are sad about their life. Some are guilty of their bad habits or acts. There are many explanation of such ‘wood headed’ behavior. In this essay we will explain the possible reasons of self destructive behavior and what remedies can help solve this problem. Possible reasons of ‘Wood Headed’ Behavior This behavior of hurting one’s own self can be called wood headed because people who hurt themselves are not able to understand that they are doing something wrong. They are not learning from their previous mistakes and persistent in their behavior. They know that self hurting will lead to pain but still they are persistent. The reasons for such behavior are not easily understandable to most people because every case is different and it is not easy to generalize the reasoning. The article by Tuchman explains ‘wood headed’ behavior as assessing the situation in terms of preconceived ideas and notions (1979). This is another element of wood headed self destructive behavior. People who hurt themselves are actually expecting that nothing good will happen in their lives. They are not hoping of any betterment in their lives and they have filled their minds with such thoughts that noting good will happen. They are only assessing the situation with preconceived notions. Depression is another reason of ‘wood headed’ behavior of self destruction. People who suffer from depression can blame themselves for their situation and can start to hurt themselves as a form of punishment. So through depression one can explain the self destructive behavior of a person. People when in depression are gloomy about their lives and have no hope. Lack of hope is an important precursor of depression and self destructive behavior. This is an explanation of self destructive behavior. Self esteem is also an important factor in the personal life of a human being. People who have low self esteem are also more inclined to hurt themselves. People who have low self esteem are afraid of talking out their problems. Therefore they internalize their problems and this leads to self destructive behavior. Their guilt is actually based on their low self esteem. They have question about their own personality. Another reason of self destructive behavior is externalization of bad events. We have discussed above how over internalization can lead to guilt and self destructive behavior. But thinking that everything bad that is happening in one’s life is due to other people gives rise to helplessness and this also leads to self destructive behavior (E How.com, 2011). One should not overly internalize or externalize everything rather a balance should be maintained. There are some things that are in our control and others are not. This is a basic point that is not understood by people who hurt themselves. Some external issues like sexual abuse and child abuse can also give rise to self hurting behavior (Boudewyn & Liem, 1995). When a person is sexually abused at an early age he or she is not able to comprehend what has happened. They are also helpless because in most cases they cannot do anything about their condition. This also makes them helpless and this helplessness can lead to self hurting behavior. When a person thinks that he or she cannot do anything in life he or she has no choice left but to inflict self wound. Self hurting behavior is also an attempt made by a person to control his or her life. People hurt themselves because they want to tell themselves that they are in control. This can also be one of the reasons of self destructive as a result of child abuse. Possible Remedies It is very difficult to stop a person in the case of self abuse. No one can monitor a self destructive person at all times and it is important to change their attitudes and mindset in order to stop them from hurting themselves. This is a daunting task as self hurting people are not ready to open up to other people. The first thing that can be done is to monitor them whenever it is possible. Any bruises and cuts should be alarming. It is important that self destructive people are told that people are aware of their habits and they ought to stop. They will try to avoid the subject but it is important to talk because without it nothing will happen. Self destructive behavior can only be eradicated if the root cause of the behavior is known. The reason of such behavior should be investigated and then work should be done accordingly on the person. Help of expert can also be taken in this regard as they are better equipped with solving this problem. Once the root cause is known people should be realized that their self hurting behavior will do nothing and it is important for them to higher their self esteem. These people should be given company and should not be allowed to spend time alone. They should be told that what they are doing is stupid and it will not make a difference. They should be made social and their friends should take them out to parties and clubs. Social interaction can do wonders for such people. Conclusion There are many people in this world like James who are hurting themselves for one reason or another. This wood headed behavior can be because of the low self esteem of a person or because of depression. Sexual abuse can also make a person become self destructive. Remedy of this behavior is to be tailor made for the person. Self destructive people should be made to talk about their behavior and they should be made more social. Works Cited Page Boudewyn & Liem. Childhood sexual abuse as a precursor to depression and self-destructive behavior in adulthood, Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8(3): 445-459, 1995 How to Recognize Self-Destructive Behavior, E How.com, 2011. Web. http://www.ehow.com/how_2074163_recognize-selfdestructive-behavior.html Tuchman, B. An Inquiry into the Persistence of Unwisdom in Government, United States Military Academy. Web. http://digital-library.usma.edu/libmedia/archives/feinstone/barbara_tuchman.pdf Read More