Meaning of Self-flagellation
Self- flagellation consists of hurting oneself as a tactic to relieve psychological suffering, psychological pain often becomes so difficult to drive that it is chosen for damaging the body as a test of controlling the situation. This naturally calms, even for a few minutes. The effect it has at the time of self-harm, which is when they voluntarily injure themselves, depends on each person and the personal situation they are experiencing.
It is the physical damage that a person does to himself to momentarily alleviate his psychological suffering, through the repeated use of non-lethal methods that generate wounds that are socially unacceptable in the dermis and epidermis. The areas chosen for self-flagellation can be easily hidden by clothing, without implying that they are inaccessible.
Throughout history, the practice has been applied and interpreted in multiple ways. A different interpretation to that indicated above is found in love novels. Such is the case of the Brazilian writer Paulo Coello , who wrote about the self-flagellation treaty in his work Once Minutes .
Being composed of two words, its etymological meaning is derived from two parts: firstly, by the Greek word autos, in which case it refers to the action carried out by a person independently , and secondly by the Latin word flagellation, referring to the physical punishment imposed on a person after committing a crime , through the use of small whips called flagella.
Within the synonyms of self-flagellation, the following stand out: self-harm, self-destruction , self-mutilation, and self-injury.
Causes of self-flagellation
Regarding the diagnosis of the factors that generate this behavior, it is important to highlight that it cannot be attributed to a single cause , therefore, the individual who self-injures generally presents two or more diseases related to each other. Of all the causes, the following stand out:
- Exposure to traumatic events.
- Multiple disorders (depressive and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others).
- Generalized anxiety disorder.
Among those most prone to self-harm are children, adolescents and young adults, with female persons being the most recurrent .
On the other hand, in psychiatric patients, self-flagellation in adults represents 20%, while self-flagellation in children and adolescents represents between 40 and 80%, with emotional self-flagellation being the most common in them. It should be noted that one of the factors that has contributed to the percentage increase in self-injury in children is emo music, through which emo self-flagellation is spread.
Prevention and treatment of self-flagellation
As part of the psychological diagnosis of self-harm, the mental health specialist can carry out an appropriate evaluation through cognitive-behavioral therapies such as dialectical-behavioral therapy or group therapy for emotion regulation. Similarly, as part of the treatment, you can administer antipsychotic medications.
Religious self-flagellation
Religion has also fostered the Catholic Church's self-flagellation for many centuries: devotees from Mediterranean countries attacked themselves during Lent to remind believers of the scourges that Jesus received before being crucified.
Source
This practice was accentuated in the 16th century in European monasteries , where lashes were applied to the buttocks of believers. Although these practices have disappeared in the Catholic Church in general, there are orthodox groups such as Opus Dei, which maintain this ecclesiastical tradition in force .
Causes
In short, the Catholic Church self-flagellation represents a vehicle for parishioners to raise their faith to a whole new level during liturgical events. It should be noted that this type of act is far from being an emotional self-flagellation, but quite the opposite.
Current view of the church
Currently the Catholic Church presents a neutral position in relation to the issue, however, in repeated statements they have indicated that they do not encourage self-harm for any purpose under any circumstances.