INTEGRITY JOURNAL OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Integrity Research Journals
ISSN: 2811-2407
Model: Open Access/Peer Reviewed
DOI: 10.31248/IJAH
Start Year: 2020
Email: ijah@integrityresjournals.org
Body piercing trends and motivations among students at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana
https://doi.org/10.31248/IJAH2024.174 | Article Number: 354EEED29 | Vol.5 (3) - October 2024
Received Date: 27 September 2024 | Accepted Date: 28 October 2024 | Published Date: 30 October 2024
Authors: Cosmos Amankwah* and Osei Akoto Kwarteng
Keywords: Ghana, university students., Body piercings, Cape Coast
This paper explores the cultural meaning and implications of body piercings among the university students of Cape Coast, Ghana, relative to indigenous traditions and global processes; in so doing, it comes to understanding how such practices work as tools for peer alliance and identity construction. The paper reviews the literature on the current topic and collects both qualitative and quantitative data through mixed methods, focusing on the complexity of body piercings as statements of identity. Its revelations disclose the public health hazards associated with trending behaviors while reinforcing the case for an unimposing recognition of the ennoblement of self-concept and belonging. Towards that end, the paper concludes with recommendations for colleges to follow suited ways to enhance supportive networks, build intercultural understanding, and generate further research into changing identity struggles in higher education.
| Abimbola, E. O., Itohan, O. R., Ehizokhale, E. S., Chuwuma, O. N., Godswill, O. O., & Enatewe, A. E. (2022). Tattoo and body piercings among young adults in Nigeria. International Journal of Human and Health Sciences, 6(1), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.31344/ijhhs.v6i1.372 |
||||
| Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211 https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T |
||||
| Ajzen, I. (2020). The theory of planned behavior: Frequently asked questions. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(4), 314-324. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.195 |
||||
| Armitage, C. J., & Conner, M. (2001). Efficacy of the theory of planned behaviour: A meta‐analytic review. British Journal of Social Psychology, 40(4), 471-499. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466601164939 |
||||
| Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. University of California Press. | ||||
| Brewer, M. B. (1991). The social self: On being the same and different at the same time. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17(5), 475-482. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167291175001 |
||||
| Bui, E., Rodgers, R., Cailhol, L., Birmes, P., Chabrol, H., & Schmitt, L. (2010). Body piercing and psychopathology: a review of the literature. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 79(2), 125-129. https://doi.org/10.1159/000276376 |
||||
| Bui, E., Rodgers, R., Simon, N. M., Jehel, L., Metcalf, C. A., Birmes, P., & Schmitt, L. (2013). Body piercings and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in young adults. Stress and Health, 29(1), 70-74. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2427 |
||||
| Caliendo, C., Armstrong, M., & Roberts, A. (2005). Self‐reported characteristics of women and men with intimate body piercings. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 49(5), 474-484. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2004.03320.x |
||||
| Carmen, R., Guitar, A., & Dillon, H. (2012). Ultimate answers to proximate questions: the evolutionary motivations behind tattoos and body piercings in popular culture. Review of General Psychology, 16(2), 134-143. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027908 |
||||
| Carroll, S. T., & Anderson, R. (2002). Body piercing, tattooing, self-esteem, and body investment in adolescent girls. Adolescence, 37(147), 627-637. | ||||
| Deschesnes, M., Demers, S., & Finès, P. (2006). Prevalence and characteristics of body piercing and tattooing among high school students. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 97(4), 325-329. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405614 |
||||
| Ferguson, H. (2000). Body piercing. Bmj, 320(Suppl S1). https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.00011627 |
||||
| Gill, R., Henwood, K., & McLean, C. (2005). Body projects and the regulation of normative masculinity. Body and Society, 11(1), 37-62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357034X05049849 |
||||
| Hoover, C. M., Rademaker, C., & Farley, C. (2017). Body piercing: Motivations and implications for health. Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, 62(5), 521-530. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.12630 |
||||
| Hornsey, M. J. (2008). Social identity theory and self‐categorization theory: A historical review. Social and personality psychology compass, 2(1), 204-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2007.00066.x |
||||
| Hornsey, M. J. (2008). Social identity theory and self‐categorization theory: A historical review. Social and personality psychology compass, 2(1), 204-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2007.00066.x |
||||
| Hudson, L. A., & Ozanne, J. L. (1988). Alternative ways of seeking knowledge in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(4), 508-521. https://doi.org/10.1086/209132 |
||||
| Irving, A. (2007). An ancient practice: Scarification and tribal marking in Ghana. | ||||
| Khemitoons Tattoo and Piercing Studio (2001). Retrieved from https://khemitoonstattoo.com/ | ||||
| Oliveira, M. D. D. S., Matos, M. A., Martins, R. M., & Teles, S. A. (2006). Tattooing and body piercing as lifestyle indicator of risk behaviors in Brazilian adolescents. European Journal of Epidemiology, 21, 559-560. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-006-9028-7 |
||||
| Oliveira, M., Matos, M., Martins, R., & Teles, S. (2006). Tattooing and body piercing as lifestyle indicators of risk behaviors in Brazilian adolescents. European Journal of Epidemiology, 21(7), 559-560. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-006-9028-7 |
||||
| Pitts, V. (2003). In the flesh: The cultural politics of body modification. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403979438 |
||||
| Roccas, S., & Brewer, M. B. (2002). Social identity complexity. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6(2), 88-106. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0602_01 |
||||
| Stieger, S., Pietschnig, J., Kastner, C., Voracek, M., & Swami, V. (2010). Prevalence and acceptance of tattoos and piercings: a survey of young adults from the southern german-speaking area of central europe. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 110(3_suppl), 1065-1074. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.110.C.1065-1074 |
||||
| Stirn, A., Oddo, S., Peregrinova, L., Philipp, S., & Hinz, A. (2011). Motivations for body piercings: A psychometric study. Psychiatry Research, 186(2-3), 443-447. | ||||
| Swami, V., Stieger, S., Pietschnig, J., Voracek, M., Furnham, A., & Tovée, M. (2012). The influence of facial piercings and observer personality on perceptions of physical attractiveness and intelligence. European Psychologist, 17(3), 213-221. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000080 |
||||
| Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behaviour. In: Worchel, S., & Austin, W. G. (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7-24). Chicago: Nelson-Hall. | ||||
| Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (2003). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. Social psychology, 4, 73-98. | ||||
| Vizgaitis, A. L., & Lenzenweger, M. F. (2019). Pierced identities: Body modification, borderline personality features, identity, and self-concept disturbances. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 10(2), 154-162. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000309 |
||||
| Walonski, C. (2021). Skin deep: Body modification and agentic identities among women with skin conditions. East Tennessee State University. Retrieved from https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5407&context=etd. | ||||
| Weiler, S. M., Tetzlaff, B. O., Herzberg, P. Y., & Jacobsen, T. (2021). When personality gets under the skin: Need for uniqueness and body modifications. PLoS One, 16(3), e0245158. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245158 |
||||
| Wohlrab, S., Stahl, J., & Kappeler, P. M. (2007a). Modifying the body: Motivations for getting tattooed and pierced. Body Image, 4(1), 87-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2006.12.001 |
||||
| Wohlrab, S., Stahl, J., Rammsayer, T., & Kappeler, P. M. (2007b). Differences in personality characteristics between body‐modified and non‐modified individuals: associations with individual personality traits and their possible evolutionary implications. European Journal of Personality: Published for the European Association of Personality Psychology, 21(7), 931-951. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.642 |
||||
| Yang, S., Wang, D., Zhang, Y., Yu, C., Ren, J., Xu, K., Deng, M., Tian, G., Ding, C., Cao, Q., & Li, L. (2015). Transmission of hepatitis B and C virus infection through body piercing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine, 94(47), e1893. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000001893 |
||||
Copyright © 2025 Integrity Research Journals. All rights reserved.