Hello Sammi
Yes Sammi, this is indeed a puzzling behaviour! And the fact that it has also been observed in monkeys makes it all the more intriguing. We may understand why it is repeated, but how it becomes an option for alleviating mental agony ... well ... that is where things get more complex. As, those who resort to self-harm normally live with conditions that cloud their thinking processes.
I have never heard of Tim Cridland, but I will sure google him after here :D One way of finding out whether he began to self-harm in order to cope with emotional pain is to look into whether he had a healthy or unhealthy childhood. Does he live with any psychological condition? When he first started injuring himself was it subsequent to stressful events? How is his psychological health overall? 😊
It always makes me very happy when I hear my posts have provided some new information for those who kindly take the time to read it. So, thank you for letting me know about this being the first time you came across the concept of the Biopsychosocial Model! 😃 Thank you also for reeseeming my posts! You are a star my dear.
It is bed time here.
So, wishing you sweet dreams and sending you bags of love all the way from Portugal :*
❤