Self-destructive behavior

"Self-destruction" redirects here. For the ability of devices to destroy themselves, see Self-destruct.

Jan Feliks Piwarski’s depiction of Alcoholism, a self-destructive behavior

Self-destructive behavior is any behavior that is harmful or potentially harmful towards the person who engages in the behavior.

Self-destructive behaviors are considered to be on a continuum, with one extreme end of the scale being suicide.[1] Self-destructive actions may be deliberate, born of impulse, or developed as a habit. The term however tends to be applied toward self-destruction that either is fatal, or is potentially habit-forming or addictive and thus potentially fatal. It is also applied to the potential at a communal or global level for the entire human race to destroy itself through the technological choices made by society and their possible consequences.[2]

Individual self-destructive behavior is often associated with neurodevelopmental or mental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,[3] borderline personality disorder[4] or schizophrenia.[5][6]

  1. ^ Beck, Aaron T.; Kovacs, Maria; Weissman, Arlene (1979). "Assessment of suicidal intention: The Scale for Suicide Ideation". Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 47 (2): 343–352. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.47.2.343. PMID 469082. S2CID 38965005.
  2. ^ Green, B. P., The Catholic Church and Technological Progress: Past, Present, and Future, Religions, 2017, 8(6), special issue on Religion and the New Technologies, page 9, accessed 14 September 2023
  3. ^ Honos-Webb, Lara; Ph.D. (January 13, 2014). "You Will Regret This Later. So Why Are You Doing It?". ADDitude. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  4. ^ Anthony W. Bateman, Roy Krawitz (2013). Borderline Personality Disorder: An evidence-based guide for generalist mental health professionals. OUP Oxford, ISBN 978-0199644209
  5. ^ Nyman, A. K.; Jonsson, H. (1986). "Patterns of self-destructive behaviour in schizophrenia". Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 73 (3): 252–262. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1986.tb02682.x. PMID 3716842. S2CID 39593219.
  6. ^ Lovaas, O.Ivar; Freitag, Gilbert; Gold, Vivian J.; Kassorla, Irene C. (1965). "Experimental studies in childhood schizophrenia: Analysis of self-destructive behavior". Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2: 67–84. doi:10.1016/0022-0965(65)90016-0.