Identitet efterlyses! En narrativ studie om konstruktion av identitet i relation till ett självskadebeteende.

Abstract The purpose of our study has been to examine how individuals in selected autobiographies construct their self-image and identity based on their own experience of a self-harm behavior. Self-harm is a growing problem, especially among young people, and as future social workers we believe that our thesis can help to increase understanding of what self-injury can mean and the impact it can have on an individual. Using a narrative method, we have been able to interpret the authors' life stories and produce various narrative themes that we have interpreted on the basis of the personal identity creation. For our empirical material we have chosen five different autobiographies where self-harm has a central role in the life-story. The themes we saw as particularly central to our narrative analysis based on the personal identity creation were the creation of identity in relation to the self-image, attitude and relationships, the construction of gender roles, the body as an identity marker, group belonging, security and turning points.