Self-harm either contradicts or embodies some theories of hedonism. As self-harm builds pleasure internally while drowning out one’s inner turmoil, it contradicts the Philosophy of Cyrenaics, the position that pleasure comes from moral actions. However, inflicting harm on one’s body to get what one wants is not moral at all especially since it violates the Lord’s view that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, nor does it generate physical pleasure. Moreover, in the philosophy, pleasure was the supreme good as is in self-harm, but it put more emphasis on physical pleasure, which is not the case if we looked at the psychological explanation for the effects of self-harm.
It is also against the ethical theory of hedonism which deals with right and wrong and moral judgments all for the same reason. Proposed by the British philosophers John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, the 19th Century ethical theory of Utilitarianism believes that the moral worth of any action is depends on whether it contributed well in escalating happiness or pleasure of everyone. The same philosophers concluded that we should perform "the greatest good for the greatest number.
…show more content…
It is usually associated with egoism or the proposition that people should always pursue their own good in all things. In hedonistic egoism, every individual should do whatever that is necessary to maintain his/her source of happiness. In other words, to get the highest net pleasure, individuals should not care about others and their pain, and such an act is fine. This approach suggests that self-harmers are not guilty of doing something wrong despite not caring about their physical pain, the consequences of self-harming, how their family and friends might feel about the act, and what the society might think and just do whatever it takes, even inflict physical pain to themselves to experience pleasure – a behavior that other people may deem