Friend needs help

[Keegs]

Hey guys, a friend of mine is doing a study into the possible connections between tattoos and aggression and has asked me to help her out. If you've got a few minutes could you please go to http://tattoo.faith.srhost.info/ and fill in the simple questionnaire. You dont need to have a tattoo to fill it in just as long as you're over 18.

Thanks in advance for helping my friend not fail her degree :)

[Kenzan]

Hello Keegs,
Question:

By what process is this questionnaire going to empirically link tattoos with aggression?
It seems to be that the results would be anecdotal at best.
It's sort of revealing of issues that relate to generalized aggression, depression and other destructive emotional issues, however since tattoos have reached fashion accessory status in Western culture, I'm not certain how reliable the data itself could be in relation to the outcome, however just as a side note, it does reveal bias which may hurt the results of the study with regard to the method on which the questionnaire is proposed. (due to it's reference to tattoos.)

Just a friendly bit of advice, If it were me, I would remove the correlation on the questionnaire of the word "tattoos" to the user, as it can taint the results as far as the person taking the test is concerned, (unless this is not the control group) and as well, I would allow for the user to be able to not respond to all the questions, because if they are being forced, they may arbitrarily choose a less than truthful reply to some of them.

I took the test by the way, and I do have tattoos.

And I vow that they will never find the bodies.

:D

[corwyn]

I took the test, too. No tattoos, and I have, uh, no recollection of any bodies.

[Keegs]

Donty shoot the messenger :P And its only an undergraduate dissertation so its not like its going into a published journal. From what shes told me, shes not trying to proove a link between agressive behavour and tattoos. Its more that stereotypically people with tattoos are generally seen to be more agressive due to the likes of hell's angels and the yakuza etc. so she is looking to see if there is a link or not. We've talked about it and personally we think that the results will most likely show no correlation due to recent trends. I know people with tattoos who wouldnt say boo to a mouse and likewise know people who are extremely aggressive without tattoos.
As long as she has data that she can write about thats all that matters :P

[Rob W.]

I have four tattoos that cover about 1/8th of my body and I don't think I'm prone to violence. It may be true that people with extensive tattoos are comfortable with questioning or rejecting some societal norms, but societal norms aren't a paragon of all that is right and holy in the world.

I understand it's just for a undergrad project, but this subject grates on me a little. There are certainly visible examples of antisocial and violent personality types manifesting their rejection of societal rules with extensive body modification, and of course criminal branding and subsequent re-appropriation by criminal culture of tattoos, but there is probably a far greater and less visible positive, expressive and creative/generative culture of body modification in the world. I'm thinking of the basic desire to decorate oneself coupled with the desire for ritual and how it can find positive expression in tattooing, both in "primitive" cultures and in the deep seated "primitive" desire in many first world people. Most of the people like this I've met keep their tattoos and modifications to themselves (I think many would be surprised how personal some people consider their tattoos, and how far removed it is from fashion or "peacock" tattooing), but for that very reason you don't notice them or get an accurate understanding of the size of that subculture.

Hope no one minds the little rant. I took the survey, BTW. I think the intentions of the survey creator were positive, but even the title, wording and questions of the survey show what to my perception is a pretty heavy bias against body modification.

[pgsmith]

Hey Keegs,
Took the survey, but you need to tell your friend that her questionnaire is poorly conceived, and many of her questions are not well formulated. Not ragging on you. I just think that your friend needs to know that her survey is pre-biased, and not very well thought out for obtaining a true data picture.

[Raindrop]

I think that questionaire is flawed in it's base. She asumes that tatoos have something to do with aggression, when really it's the other way round. Aggressive people, criminals for example, get tatoos to mark themselves, to give signals to the outside world.

I think because of criminals with tatoos who use a lot of physical violence (yakuza, street gangs, pirates(!) etc...) they have become a synonym for "tough guy".

But what about all those girls with their lower back tatoos, or the losers who tatoo "MOM" on their but cheeks?

Many agressive people might have tatoos, but far from all people with tatoos are violent.

PS: Oh and yeah I don't mean this in a negative kind of way, I just think it would help your friend if she maybe revised the questionaire. :)

[Jiyoui]

I think because of criminals with tatoos who use a lot of physical violence (yakuza, street gangs, pirates(!) etc...) they have become a synonym for "tough guy".


I was trying really hard to say that as I was scrolling down the page. I think you hit right on the mark. :smoker:

[mingshi]

Replace "tattoo" with "kendo" and you can get another questionnaire just as general!

[Hank]

...or the losers who tatoo "MOM" on their but cheeks? :)MOM? But I wanted WOW!

[bobdonny]

Questionairre is grand, but i would say one thing.

"Focus group" you need to ask a cross section of the public.... not a buch of peeps that hit each other for fun... by asking here that is the only sort of bias i see.