Tattooed perspective: An exploratory study on internal and external factors for tattooing, and meanings of a person's tattoo

• Main Authors: Gonzales, Gilberto Geronimo A., Lee, Garrett Lambert Y., Salvador, Jose Angelo A.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2009
• Subjects: Tattooing; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/9205
• Institution: De La Salle University

The study aims to explore the internal motivation and external influence for deciding to get a tattoo. The study also focused on the meetings of a person's tattoo and how the factors for deciding to get a tattoo show on the meanings. A descriptive qualitative research design was used to gather data. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 participants with tattoos, Filipinos, with ages ranging from 16-30 years, all residing within the Metro Manila area. The method used to analyze the data was data coding. The results show that the internal motivations for a person to get a tattoo are the aesthetic aspects of tattoo, seeking the sense of fulfillment, and tattoo as an expression of individuality. Also, there are external motivations for tattooing such as: Family, Peers, and Norms affecting the placement. Meanings have been grouped into two categories: the generic meanings and the personal meanings of the tattoo. Motivations and influences, both are reflected in the meanings of tattoo, but not all factors under them were reflected in the meanings.