Self-injurious behavior as a symptom of a developmental disorder of the self in adolescents has drawn increasing attention in recent years. Undoubtedly, there are differences between the bodily expressions of today's youth and those of earlier youth cultures, particularly regarding the dynamics and radicality of objectification of one's own body. Self-injury serves a paradoxical function of self-care. It reduces unbearable states of tension, pushes urgent suicidal thoughts into the background, and interrupts the fear of losing oneself and the feeling of "going crazy." Biographically, one often finds childhood traumas, including experiences of sexual abuse, which are usually rooted in profound emotional neglect in early relationships. The complex psychodynamics of self-injurious behavior.