HOME

Suicide 

 

 

Suicide

THERE IS NO SOCIETY IN WHICH REGULATION DOES NOT EXIST

power must be obeyed through respect, not fear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classic:  Suicide - social norms exist wh/ can account for a phenomenon that on the surface appears to be strictly a case of ind action. ... to the heart of the reductionists to prove the inadequacy of reductionism.   describes suicides by rates rather than ind incidents - shifts attention away from the individual.   suicide rates increase as the ° of integration decreases. or ... the more free the ind is fr external restraints and the more isolated fr group life, the more prone the ind is to suicide.

social conditions that lead to the breakdown of moral regulation and group integration.

in all cases, there is society's absence in the ind - but of a diff variety:.. bottom 69 .. "[man] is governed not by a environm't brutally imposed on him, but by a conscience superior to his own, the superiority of wh he feels.

 

Wiki good on Durkheim's 4 types of suicide

 

TYPES OF SUICIDE INTEGRATION
 hi
INTEGRATION
LOW
REGULATION
HIGH
Altruistic Fatalistic
REGULATION
LOW
Egoistic Anomic

 

SUICIDE varies

inversely w ° of integration of relig society

inversely w °   of integration of domestic society

inversely w °     of integration of political society

regulation and integration

âá  âá âá  âá

egoistic       altruistic       anomic        fatalistic

Egoistic suicide: Egoism is a state in which the ties attaching the ind to others in the soc are weak. Since the ind is only weakly integrated into the society, their suicide will have little impact on the rest of the society. I.e., there are few social ties to keep the ind from taking his own life. This Durk saw as the cause of suicide among divorced men, and has been cited as the cause of rising teenage suicides by contemporary sociologists.  constantly advance to an indefinite goal  -   long for infinity     The divorced man says:  " . . . . . . "
 
the more weakened groups, the less he depends on them.   the more he consequently depends only on himself.   no other rules of conduct:  EGOISM  ... in wh/ ego asserts itself to excess.  egoistic suicide springs from excessive individualism  -   egoistic suicide results from man's no longer finding a basis for existence in life; altruistic bc this basis for life is beyond life; anomic bec lack regulation

âá  âá âá  âá

egoistic       altruistic       anomic        fatalistic

Altruistic suicide: Altruism is a state opposite to egoism, in wh the ind is extremely attached to the society and thus has no life of their own. Inds who commit suicide based on altruism die bc they believe that their death can bring about a benefit to the society. i.e., when an ind is too heavily integrated into society, they will commit suicide regardless of their own hesitation if soc's norms ask for the person's death. Durkheim saw this as occurring in 2 diff ways:

  • Where people saw themselves as worthless or a burden upon society & wld therefore commit suicide. He saw this as happening in ancient or 'primitive' societies, but also in highly trad army regiments, e.g., imperial or elite guards, in contemporary society.
  • Where people saw social world as meaningless & would sacrifice themselves for a greater ideal. Durkheim saw this as happening in 'Eastern' religions, such as the Sati in Hinduism. Some contemporary sociologists have used this analysis to explain Kamikaze pilots and the cult of the suicide bomber.
    The altruistic suicide man says, " . . . "

âá  âá âá  âá

egoistic       altruistic       anomic        fatalistic

Anomic suicide: Anomie is a state in which there is weak social regulation between soc's norms & the ind, most often brought on by dramatic chgs in econ and/or soc circumstances. This type of suicide happens when soc norms and laws governing the society do not correspond with the life goals of the ind. Since the ind does not identify w the norms of the society, suicide seems to be a way to escape them. E.g., the spike in suicide rates following the 1929 Stock Market Crash in the United States, as well as the spike following John F. Kennedy's assassination and the September 11th attacks.
The anomic suicide man says, " . . . "

ANOMIC SUICIDE

needs need to be in proportion to one's means:   friction

unsatisfied tendencies atrophy - weaken

amm depends tot. on mat. conditions. man-most needs are not body

... 67 the quantity of mat supplies nec to the physical maintenance of a human life is subject to computation - and a winder margin for the free combinations of the will ... better conditions ... desirable ends ... crave fulfillment ... legitimately to be craved.

NOTHING EXTERNAL CAN RESTRAIN THIS CAPACITY - it can only be a source of torment   instability   morbidity   goal is infinity

bottom 67 ... "To achieve any other result, the passions 1st must be ltd.  Only then can they be harmonized w the faculties & satisfied.  but since the ind. has no way of limiting them, this must be done by a force outside him.  Physical restraint cannot be touched - hearts cannot be reached.

so they must receive it from an authority wh they respect, to wh/ they yield spontaneously. 

âá  âá âá  âá

egoistic       altruistic       anomic        fatalistic

Fatalistic : Fatalism is a state opposite to anomie in wh/ socl regulation is completely instilled in the indi; there is no hope of chg ag the oppressive discipline of society. The only way for the ind to be released fr this state is to commit suicide. Durkheim saw this as the reason for slaves committing suicide in antiquity, but saw it as having little relevance in modern society. Contemporary soc'ts have argued that modern fatalistic suicide occurs in such societies as Japan, where social mobility is so limited by social norms that individual fulfillment is impossible.
The Fatalistic suicide man says, ". . . "

 

understand the context of all social pressures (or lacks) and suicide:

p. 64 in strongly integrated groups, suicide varies inversely w the degree of integration of the social groups of wh/ the ind forms a part.   when society is strongly integrated, it holds inds under its contract and forbids them from evading their duties

in groups, p. 64, "the bond that unites them w the common cause attaches them to life and the lofty goal they envisage prevents their feeling personal tbls so deeply.  There is in short, in a cohesive & animated society a constant interchange of ideas and feelings from all to each and each to all, something like a mutual moral support.

thus at the very moment that, w excessive zeal, he frees himself fr the soc environment, he still submits to its influence.  ... he effects communion thru sadness when he no longer has anything else w wh/ to achieve it

It alone (society) had the pwr nec to stipulate law and to set the point beyond, which the passions must not go.

the state of de-regulation or anomie is thus further heightened by passions being less disciplined, precisely when they need more disciplining

Wealth ... bestows power  - deceives us into believing that we depend on ourselves.

nothing can calm it      -     reality valueless of fevered imaginations

thirst artists   =   futility of endless pursuit