Tattoos have accompanied human beings for thousands of years. But why do we do it? Why willingly endure pain and permanently mark our bodies?

In this first episode of Thinking Psychologically, we explore tattoos through a psychological lens, considering the various functions they may serve in our psychological lives.

Along the way, the discussion touches on:

• Permanence, impermanence, and existential questions of mortality
• Belonging, conformity, and the human need for connection
• Transgression, individuation, and becoming more fully oneself
• Trauma, bodily autonomy, and reclaiming the body
• Carl Jung, symbolism, and the unconscious

The episode does not attempt to explain what any particular tattoo means. Instead, it asks a broader question:

Is a tattoo ever just ...