University of Makati

J.P. Rizal Ext., Brgy. West Rembo, Makati City

www.umak.edu.ph

Comparative Assessment of the Self-esteem of Students With and Without Tattoos at the

University of Makati

Journal Study in Technical Writing presented to

University of Makati, College of Science

Baluyot, Daniel James

Deligero, Vincent Paul
Domingo, Bernadette Alexis
Enrique, John Jorie
Jose, John Alvin
Lacanlale, Arabella Vivien
Sequiña, L.A.
Vargas, Giancarlo

3-C PSYCHOLOGY

Submitted to:

Dr. Agnes Santos

December 2023
 Comparative Assessment of the Self-esteem of Students With and Without Tattoos at the
University of Makati
Vargas, G. & Domingo, B. A. et al
University Student

In today's current time, having tattoos has now become an artistic way of self-expression
regardless of gender. For some, tattoos are a sense of belongingness. It is also prevalent and
noticeable that in some of the universities and colleges here in the Philippines allow their
students to have tattoos and some study shows that tattoo is an important factor for one’s self
identity and one’s self-worth.The main objective of this study is to identify if there are significant
differences between the self-esteem level of University of Makati students with tattoos and
students without tattoos. The self-esteem level was assessed by Rosenberg's Self-esteem scale.
Statistical results showed p 0.517 > 0.05 or no significant difference between the self-esteem of
university students with tattoos and university students without tattoos. People believed there are
differences in the level of self-esteem of students with body ink art and students without tattoos,
however, the results mainly shows that both university students with and without tattoos have
closely the same Nominal level of Self-Esteem, although university students with tattoos showed
slightly higher levels of self-esteem.

Keywords: self-esteem, tattoos

Introduction

The oldest tattoos discovered were on the body of remains found on the Italian-Austrian border
in 1991. The remains were dated back to 3250 B.C.E. and had several tattoos from the legs to the
torso to his wrist. It was interpreted as a form of medicine where the tattoos were used to
alleviate the pain of some condition this person might have had (Grifski, 2021). These days,
tattoos are widespread, particularly among the population of those in the so-called emerging
adulthood age range of 18 to 26. Tattooing is used to decorate or cover one’s body, which
presumably becomes an important factor in the formation of one’s sense of self, one’s self-worth,
and, as a further consequence, one’s personal, gender, and bodily identity. Tattooing and wearing
tattoos as a visual aspect of self-creation are not without significance for the psychological
functioning of the subject (Jabłońska and Mirucka, 2023). People get their bodies tattooed for
various reasons like to follow the trend, to feel good by enhancing their looks, to show
commitment, to hide scars, to get attention, to identify with a cult or group, to endure emotional
pain, or to increase their self-esteem. It has been found that creating ink body art is one method
of improving one's view of oneself and coping with an identity crisis. Furthermore, it is taken as
one of the favorite fashion icons and fashion trends (Pandey, N., et al, 2022).

Furthermore, Abraham Maslow defined human needs and how they affect our capacity to reach
our greatest potential. The fourth level of Maslow's hierarchy, which represents healthy
self-esteem, is crucial for mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Despite its significance,
qualities like ambition, intelligence, loyalty, resourcefulness, sensitivity, and social awareness are
frequently prioritized over the state of our self-esteem. However, many desirable qualities are
unachievable without a strong sense of self-worth. Low self-esteem is closely associated with a
lack of social support, relationships that aren't fulfilling, and a greater likelihood of anxiety and
depression (Gazella, 2023). Additionally, before putting oneself through the needle and ink,
anyone thinking about getting a tattoo should give it some thought. Certain attempts at body
modification may have unforeseen negative effects that damage one's self-esteem in the long run.
However, The commitment to the permanency of a tattoo can be a healing process in itself.
Building self-confidence can be facilitated by confronting trauma and displaying a reminder of
your progress from it. It serves as a means of affirming oneself in front of other people and the
rest of the world. You affirm your beliefs, values, personality, roots, etc. through the tattoo. It's a
means of showcasing one's uniqueness as a strength (Caroline, 2023). Some individuals with
high self-esteem bolster their ego to feel good about themselves. Consequently, these individuals
continually rate themselves as succeeding in various ways. Moreover, they believe they are more
popular, more attractive, smarter than others, and happier than their peers. However, the study
reveals more about how people with high self-esteem deceive themselves than it does about
reality. On the other hand, overconfidence and higher self-esteem make them feel more entitled
to others. A notable contrast to this is the reason why some people choose to get tattoos. It is
often for self-improvement, rewarding themselves, enhancing self-awareness, and boosting their
self-esteem, allowing them to experience satisfaction without the need to flaunt that they feel
better and superior to others.

As presented by Singh et al.(2019) [it can be concluded that] tattoos can enhance an individual’s
state of self-esteem. Tattoos can make people feel better about themselves, temporarily. They can
help them overcome an emotional trauma, and empower them to lead an optimistic life.
However, tattoos may not be the only factor that can lead to the enhancement of one‟ 's global
self-esteem. The present study implied that variables like sexuality, religion, family, and living
arrangement types can also influence one‟s indulgence in any such measures. Based on the
findings of a study by Burlacu & Rotaru (2019), the group of subjects possessing at least one
tattoo tends to have higher scores from Scala Rosenberg compared to the second group of
tattoo/subjects who tend to have lower value at the Rosenberg Scala, that is, subjects possessing
at least one tattoo denote high self-esteem while subjects without a tattoo have lower self-esteem.
Moreover, a study conducted among college students states that individuals completed the State
Self-Esteem Scale (SSES) before and after wearing a temporary tattoo. In connection to
self-esteem, additional factors regarding tattoo visibility and pleasure were also investigated. The
findings show that people's self-esteem increased when they received the tattoo for two weeks
(Ball & Elsner, 2019).
This study aims to provide a comprehensive and comparative assessment of a person's
self-esteem among students with or without tattoos.
Methodology

2.1 Participants
The participants of this study were eighteen (18) students with tattoos and seventeen (17)
students without tattoos currently studying at the University of Makati. This study used two sets
of participants to compare the self-esteem of the students with and without tattoos and the
participants were purposely chosen to be part of the study.

2.2 Instruments
This study utilized Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale which showed validity and reliability in
which psychometric properties are evaluated by Dobson et al. (1979) and Fleming and Courtney
(1984) with a value of. This scale has a generally high reliability as its test-retest correlations are
around .82 to .88 and Cronbach’s Alpha various samples range from .77 to .88. It was
standardized by administering it on 5,024 high school students in New York State, USA. These
scales evaluate positive as well as negative feelings about oneself to determine overall
self-worth. A 4-point Likert scale, which includes strongly agree to strongly disagree, is used for
all item responses.

Results

Table 1 shows self-esteem level, frequency, and the mean of students having tattoos and students
without tattoos. In high self-esteem, the students with tattoos had a frequency of three (3) and
with a mean of 27.0 as these students responded most strongly to the scale given while two (2)
students without tattoos were categorized in high self-esteem level two with a mean of 28.0. For
the nominal self-esteem level, students with tattoos had a mean of 21.0 indicating that these
students had an average level of self-esteem when they had tattoos while the students without
tattoos had a mean of 19.36 indicating that most of these students responded only to an” Agree”
choice in most of the statements of the scale. In low self-esteem level, there is a high frequency
in the category of without tattoos with four (4) students and a mean of 12.5 while there is only
one (1) in the category of with tattoos students. However, as shown in Table 2, there is no
significant difference between the self-esteem level of students having tattoos and those without
tattoos. This means both of these types of students are considered to have the same level of
self-esteem regarding their individuality as a student.

Table 1. Frequency and Mean Distribution of the Self-Esteem Level Between the Students having
Tattoo and Students without Tattoo
Category Self- Esteem Level Frequency Mean

Students with tattoo High Self- Esteem 3 27.0000

Nominal Self- Esteem 14 21.0000
Low Self- Esteem 1 10.0000
 Students without tattoo High Self- Esteem 2 28.0000
Nominal Self- Esteem 11 19.3636
Low Self- Esteem 4 12.5000

Table 2. Significant Different Between the Students having Tattoo and Students without Tattoo
Category Frequency SD Mean p - value Interpretation

Students with 18 0.11 21.39

tattoo No significant
0.517 > 0.05 difference
Students without 17 0.11 18.76
tattoo

Discussion

It appears in the result of the study that there is no significant difference in self-esteem between
students with and without tattoos. There may be a different way for students without tattoos to
increase their self-esteem,they might not consider getting a tattoo as a way to increase their
self-esteem and those who have tattoos may take a different strategy to increasing their
self-esteem, such as obtaining a tattoo for themselves. The result of the study is congruent with
the study of Kertzman et al., (2019) that there is no causal or temporal connection between
self-esteem and tattooing.

In addition, the study by Ball & Elsner in 2019 sought to expand on previous studies conducted
among students and examine the degree to which tattoos affect one’s own and oneself-esteem of
each other while taking into consideration individual differences. Furthermore, the physical
appearance of one another, the association between getting a tattoo, and interest in characteristics
such as gender, sexual orientation, number of tattoos, wearer type, drive for uniqueness, and
religion each have a significant impact on students' individuality and attributions regarding one
another's self-esteem. This makes it clear that student’s differences, whether they have tattoos or
not, are related to their personal circumstances.
Conclusions

The findings of this study suggest that there are no significant differences in the self-esteem
levels between students with and without tattoos. This implies that the presence or absence of a
tattoo may not be an indicator of one’s self-esteem. The limitation of this study is that the sample
size of participants may not fully represent the diversity of population. It can be recommended to
improve the generalizability of results by extending the scope to various age groups, educational
environment, and cultural context. It is also advised to examine a greater range of social and
psychological factors in order to gain more thorough knowledge of the relationship between
having tattoos and self-esteem.
 References

Dobson, C, Goudy, W. J., Keith, P. M., & Powers, E. (1979). Further analysis of Rosenberg's
Self-esteem Scale. Psychological Reports, 44, 6 3 9 - 6 4 1

Fleming, J. S., & Courtney, B. E. (1984). The dimensionality of self-esteem. II. Hierarchical
facet model for revised measurement scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
46, 404 - 421.

Gazella, K. (2023). The science of self-esteem and why it matters. Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-healing-factor/202302/the-science-of-self-
esteem-and-why-it-matters

Grifski, M. (n.d.). The history of tattoos.

https://fostercuriosity.com/series/history/the-history-of-tattoos

Kertzman S, Kagan A, Hegedish O, Lapidus R, Weizman A (2019) Do young women with

tattoos have lower self-esteem and body image than their peers without tattoos? A
non-verbal repertory grid technique approach. PLoS ONE 14(1): e0206411.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206411

Klaudia Jabłońska, & Mirucka, B. (2023). Mental body representations of women with tattoos in
emerging adulthood — a cluster analysis. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01326-z

Rosenberg, Morris. (1986). Conceiving the Self. Krieger: Malabar, FL.

Singh, R., & Tanwar, S. A. (2019). Relationship between Self-Esteem and Ink Body Art. The
International Journal of Indian Psychology, 7(2).