Blogs, identity, stigma and scars: the legacy of self-injury

Purpose This paper aims to explore the experience of living with scars from self-injury; how people who self-injure (SI) make meaning of their scars and how these scars are a part of the identity construction process. Design/methodology/approach It is observed that 60 entries, from 25 online narrative blogs detailing the experience of living with self-injury scars, were analyzed using a contextualized thematic analysis informed by an embodied perspective. Findings The analysis generated two dominant themes: temporal aspects of identity; and social stigma and scars. Originality/value Far-reaching consequences of self-injury scars on the daily lives of people who SI was found. This included a person’s posture, clothing, choices of career, inclusion in family life, leisure activities and relationships; all of which have corollaries in emotional and psychological well-being. Scars were found to be self-narrative with particular salience given to how scars represented healing. Novel findings included the central role scars played in the resistance of self-injury stigma.