Memorial tattoos: Advancing continuing bonds theory

A memorial tattoo is a tattoo that honors a person who has died. We aimed to understand how memorial tattoos could be an expression of a bereaved person's continuing relationship with the deceased person that the tattoo memorializes. We interviewed 41 people and used qualitative description gro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Death studies 2022, Vol.46 (1), p.132-139
Main Authors: Cadell, Susan, Reid Lambert, Melissa, Davidson, Deborah, Greco, Carly, Macdonald, Mary Ellen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Humans
Social Stigma
Tattooing
Tattoos
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Summary:A memorial tattoo is a tattoo that honors a person who has died. We aimed to understand how memorial tattoos could be an expression of a bereaved person's continuing relationship with the deceased person that the tattoo memorializes. We interviewed 41 people and used qualitative description grounded in a symbolic interactionist framework to analyze the transcripts. This research expands on continuing bonds theory by showing that memorial tattoos are an expression of the bond with the deceased as well as a way to communicate with others about their ongoing connection and to challenge stigma.
ISSN:0748-1187
1091-7683
DOI:10.1080/07481187.2020.1716888