Tagging: Deviant behavior or adolescent rites of passage?

Tagging is a category of graffiti defined as a stylized signature, monogram, word, or name marked on public and private physical spaces. It is an illegal action seen as a disfigurement to many communities, yet it remains a pre-occupation for adolescents worldwide. This theoretical article explores the hidden aspects of taggers and their subculture. We argue that tagging is a ritualistic act that is part of a psychological growth process suggestive of Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner's research on traditional rites of passage practices. We use the developmental theories of Winnicott and Erikson to investigate how these rites of passage experiences are integrated into the adolescent tagger's psyche. Graffiti writing gives taggers the freedom to discover different aspects of the self; a dynamic interaction with unconscious processes that mirror traditional rites of passage rituals.