Body Modification As It Relates to Personality Characteristics and Traits

Long before I first considered getting a tattoo, I was surrounded by a plethora of body modifications, including tattoos, piercings, and even obscurities such as human branding and corset or suspension piercings. These were always observed with reactions ranging from horrified avoidance to rapt admiration, depending on the observer and the nature of the modification. My tone of my mother’s general reaction leaned toward a generally liberal acceptance, while my father has trended more towards distaste and simple avoidance. It may come as no surprise then, that I would eventually go on to become inked later on in my life. However, my choice to get tattoos was met with an uncharacteristic acceptance from both parents, resulting in my first questions into body modification, public perception, and what motivates us to so-drastically alter our physical selves.
I suppose it was inevitable that I would go on to get tattoos, though I never developed an affinity towards piercings of any type. However, long before I elected to go under the needle, I questioned the motivations underlying many of my peers to do the same. I graduated from an alternative high school, attended by a group of predictably societally non-compliant individuals. I had the opportunity to observe gang-related symbolism, simple physical expressions of rebellion, and even a few truly remarkable pieces of art that had simply been painted upon a canvas of skin, rather than a more traditional medium. For some it was all about freedom of expression, while others were influenced by a desire to display their incompatibility with a society they felt had spurned them. Others yet still were the recipients of markings ostensibly against their will, as mandated by familial or p...

... middle of paper ...

... familial protection is really just my way of saying "Hey world, look at me!" One would hope that this study does not remain in its relative isolation. While it certainly served to scratch the surface of the psychology underlying body modification, it left a multitude of questions unasked, and a vast array of information undiscovered. Maybe one day, with enough research, we can even read the proverbial writing on a person's skin for what it really means, rather than simply observing it as an aperture of someone's physical presentation.

Works Cited

Wohlrab, S., Stahl, J., Rammsayer, T., & Kappeler, P. (2007). Differences in personality characteristics between body-modified and non-modified individuals: Associations with individual personality traits and their possible evolutionary implications. European Journal of Personality, 21, 931-951. doi: 10.1002/per.642