Psychological Meanings and Functions of Non-suicidal Self-Injury and Eating Disorders
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating disorder behaviors have many things in common, including some of the reasons why people do them. Many researchers have taken a syndromal approach, whereby such behaviors are seen as symptoms of some underlying il
- PDF / 121,393 Bytes
- 12 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 61 Downloads / 169 Views
Psychological Meanings and Functions of Non-suicidal Self-Injury and Eating Disorders Michelle M. Wedig
Abstract
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating disorder behaviors have many things in common, including some of the reasons why people do them. Many researchers have taken a syndromal approach, whereby such behaviors are seen as symptoms of some underlying illness, but it may be more fruitful to examine these behaviors from a functional approach, in which maladaptive behaviors are instead goal-directed behaviors performed to obtain some desired end. This chapter focuses on a functional perspective, presenting evidence for a four-factor model that might underlie both eating disorders and NSSI behavior. This model proposes two dichotomous dimensions including contingencies that are automatic versus social and reinforcement that is positive (i.e., followed by the presentation of a favorable stimulus) versus negative (i.e., followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus). Such an approach has a considerable impact on methodological considerations in research and clinical assessment and treatment. It suggests that a functional assessment might be useful in evaluating such patients and influencing treatment options, especially when these behaviors overlap.
5.1
Introduction
The reasons why some individuals intentionally harm themselves continue to puzzle scientists, clinicians, and the public. Most research over the past several decades has taken a syndromal approach to these behaviors, in which maladaptive behaviors are conceptualized as signs or symptoms of some underlying disease process, and they have been examined as independent disorders. An alternative approach is to consider the functions of these maladaptive behaviors—that is, what M.M. Wedig (*) McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA 02478, USA e-mail: [email protected] L. Claes and J.J. Muehlenkamp (eds.), Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Eating Disorders, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-40107-7_5, # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
73
74
M.M. Wedig
purposes they serve in their immediate environment. From a functional perspective, maladaptive behaviors are not necessarily manifestations of an underlying disease, but instead are goal-directed behaviors performed to obtain some desired end (Claes & Vandereycken, 2007). This chapter will focus on the psychological meanings and functions of NSSI and eating disorder behaviors. First, the literature surrounding the functions of NSSI and eating disorder behaviors will be reviewed individually, then the overlap of the functions of the two behaviors will be discussed as well as the differences in the functions of the two behaviors. Finally, methodological considerations and clinical implications of such an approach to these behaviors are discussed.
5.2
Functions of Non-suicidal Self-Injury
There have been a number of functions given in the literature for NSSI. The first of these and perhaps the most well known is the four-function model provided by Nock and Prinstein (2004). This mod
Data Loading...
