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| Some lab animals develop behaviours like fur biting |
It is extremely hard to tease apart enviromental factors in the hope of
ascertaining root causes of things. (In fact, so much so scientists do not even try!) But one area that seems really
helpful to explore in relation to hair pulling (and perhaps other
self-directed behaviours) are ongoing stressors that cannot be avoided.
Where self-directed behaviour has emerged in some animal studies there have been environmental stressors identified which the organims cannot switch off to nor regulate. A good example is where parrot in cages were hung the length of a room. Those nearest to the doorway, through which people were coming and going most frequently, showed greatest signs of disturbance, as manifested in feather plucking behaviour.
As far as I know, the same understanding of such an environmental issue has not been applied to hair pulling. Are there continuous stressors that the child can neither avoid, nor alter, nor control in any way? Stressors might include personal space being consistently disrespected, incestuous advances or consistent rejection.
The point is that a schism emerges between a person and their environment. Sensory discomfort can only be countered by somehow negating sensory stimulation by attempting to switch off the environment in question. If this state of affairs persists for a period of time during a sensitive developmental period, re-wiring can emerge with self-directed behaviours being manifested.
In addition to parrots, the same kind of effects have been found in mice where who were closely related genetically (i.e. parents, siblings) and housed together. This produced a situation whereby the sexual behaviour of mice could only be enacted in a context of incestuousness. Fur biting soon followed.
I think people who do have hair pulling problems may benefit from considering closely those aspects of their formative environments that compromised them emotionally or sexually.
