Emile Durkheim and A Study in the Sociology of Suicide
There are many theories of the effects of society on engendering suicide or self-destructive impulses within the individual. One of these is the classic theory of Emile Durkheim, which we will explore more fully later in this research. However, many theorists have suggests a causal connection between the act of suicide and the social environment in which an individual exists. Suicide is the intentional, self-infliction of death. While many social scientists agree that suicide is a complex phenomena that has biological, psychological and social origins, evidence exists that suggests the social origins may be far more significant than traditionally thought, “Major differences have existed, however, in societies’ attitudes toward suicide, in the way in which suicide is committed, and in the rates of frequency at various times in history…the most common element involved in suicide seems to be the person’s perception that life is so painful that only death can provide relief. Adverse social conditions frequently result in a marked increase in the suicide rate” (Suicide 1). The high rate of suicides committed after the Great Depression in America is one example of how the social condition in which individuals find themselves may spur a higher suicide rate.
The perspective of the individual is the method by which he views his world and himself. Whether or not this perception is valid and logical is not as important as recognizing that perception is reality. What a man thinks often conditions how a man feels. These feelings can, to a large degree, be engendered by the social attitudes regarding the act of suicide. For example, some societies and cultures outlaw suicide. Other communities, like the Christian community, condemns suicide as the greatest moral transgression. The teachings of Catholicism often help keep suicide rates low because Christianity teaches...