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The Psychology Behind Tattoos: Why Did We Decide To Mark Us Forever?
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Some people decide to get a tattoo to remember an event, while others do it for sheer aesthetics
The heat arrives and we banish jackets, scarves and long pants, which we substitute for tank tops, shorts and sunglasses. Freckles that appear with the first rays of sunlight come out of the burrows and, on the still little tanned arms and legs, we see tattoos. These special brands, which many wear, do not see the light under the winter jerseys, but they can be seen and worn during the summer months.
If just a few decades ago tattoos were something exceptional, now they are more than normalized; more and more are deciding burn memories on your skin. “There are two reasons why people can get a tattoo, one of them is to underline their own identity and the other to immortalize moments, both those that were happy and those that have left us a psychological wound,” explains psychologist Sheila Estévez Vallejo .
Even so, the psychologist Lara Pacheco, from Cenit Psicólogos, points out that «the motivations why someone decides to get a tattoo, being in 2020, they are as wide as people exist ». The professional explains that, in many cases, it is more common for women to get tattoos, in search of the aesthetic enrichment of their own body, while men tend to do so motivated by belonging to a social group.
Photograph the memories on our skin
Sheila Estévez Vallejo comments that perhaps what moves us to get tattoos is wanting, in some way, to “photograph” a memory on our skin. He also explains that one of its great attractions is that it can make us «feel unique, define ourselves, different, or make us feel unique. can help frame a personality trait, a belief or values ». «Another reason why we decide to get tattoos is in response to an emotional damage we have experienced; the tattoo is part of the acceptance of that damage and the result of the process of resilience or overcoming, ”he points out.
Although at first it may seem that the most extroverted and daring people are more predisposed to tattooing, Lara Pacheco says that there are “few personality traits that stand out among people who get tattoos.” “If we generalize it, we could say that the most important common characteristic is the search for a sense of ‘uniqueness’, being unique or original,” says the psychologist. But, tattoos can even serve as an expression tool for those more shy people. «There are people who prefer being able to define oneself without having to say a word, especially the most introverted or shy ones, and thanks to tattoos they can do it “, points out Sheila Estévez Vallejo.
Express ourselves without speaking
Also, at first it may appear that there is a great distance between people who get tattooed for aesthetics and those who do it seeking to mark something important to them on their skin. “The decision to get a tattoo is significant even if it is to beautify the body. In fact, in the culture in which physical appearance and image are especially important, deciding to get a tattoo just to make some part of our body more aesthetic can be as significant as doing it to mark a relevant life event “, explains Lara Pacheco. He goes on and says that, in both cases, the “use” of the tattoo is similar. In the event that it symbolizes something related to our life, we reaffirm the message we want to convey; If it is for aesthetics, we can apply the same argument, although the message is to show that they are motives with which we feel aesthetically identified.
We could think that logic indicates that the most insecure people, or with more difficulties making decisions, are less likely to get a tattoo. However, the psychologist Lara Pacheco comments that it does not have to be this way, since people with these personality traits usually feel these circumstances in very marked areas of their lives. «For example, you can be very insecure in your relationships, but very little in your work, or vice versa … In general, a person with some insecurity can feel safe when making the decision to get a tattoo, they may even have a tendency to this as a reaffirmation of herself “, explains Lara Pacheco. If we look at the general data collected in different surveys and studies, we will observe that the people who have decided to get a tattoo, for the most part, do not regret the decision and, the people who decide to delete them are very few, in comparison.
An act of intimacy
After making the decision to get a tattoo, another complicated choice comes: choosing instead of the body in which we are going to do it, since we can conceive this aesthetic symbol as something intimate or something to be shown. «Those who choose to do it in visible places, such as their arms or legs, usually want to wear them as a ‘jewel’ or as something that identifies them, which is part of their self-image and message you want others to receive», Says Sheila Estévez Vallejo. Lara Pacheco adds that the choice can also depend on factors such as the person’s profession, the pain they think they will feel in one area or another, or simply the aesthetic reason for how the tattoo will be in each place. “If we refer to highly exposed and rarely tattooed parts, such as the hands, neck and face, perhaps we can say that the person who does it in these areas is more motivated to send a message to others, rather than only herself », says the professional.
Finally, tattoos, in a way, can be considered by some people as a therapeutic resource. «It is one of the functions that has been studied the most. There are very obvious examples, such as tattoos that are made to hide scars, or to enhance the body aesthetically after a mastectomy “, says Lara Pacheco. Similarly, the professional explains that it has been proven that a tattoo can be a reaffirmation after overcoming a difficult period. “As we have already mentioned, regarding the motivations for getting a tattoo, on certain occasions it can be assumed as a symbol of having overcome something, of having gone through a significant change in life or as a reaffirmation of personal values,” concludes the professional.
Why do we choose one area or another to get a tattoo?
Although the choice of the area in which to make a tattoo depends on many factors (aesthetics, intimacy, fear of pain …), explains the psychologist Sheila Estévez Vallejo that, according to the Chinese traditional medicine, each area of the body has a meaning at the “energetic” level. The psychologist comments that according to this, a person who is right-handed links the right area of your entire body to the social, labor, and future goals. The left area would be the family, intimate and couple part, which coincides with where we have the heart located.
Likewise, a trend that can occur when choosing where to get tattoos is the influence that the first one we get has, since this will set the trend. «The first will be the one we will pay most attention to; in which zone and on which side we have it, will determine the rest, since we do not usually repeat place or area», Says the psychologist.
He explains that, in general, the back and shoulder area is associated with bearing a weight, with the obligations to our loads, while the arm area is where the goals or objectives to be achieved are visualized. “The hands are usually where power and dominance are shown,” he points out. Finally, he explains that the chest is the area where emotions are felt, both intensely positive and sad, such as duels or situations of emotional pain.