Durkheim's theory of suicide as a social phenomenon

Suicide and Society

Suicide: An Individual Phenomenon or a Societal Construct?

Statistics show that suicide rates in the U.S. are highly predictable. It is annually expected each year that over 30,000 suicides will occur, as compared to about 17,000 homicides. This stable and predictable estimate of suicide rate stems from a precise analysis of social factors describing four separate categories of suicidal influences: egoistic, altruistic, anomic, and fatalistic. According to the functionalist theory described by Emile Durkheim, rates are social facts based on other established social facts, and thus have a sociological basis. As suicide rates are social facts, Durkheim set out to provide an empirical basis of social explanation regarding suicide, providing a far different account of trends than the previously perceived notion that suicide is based purely on individual or psychological reasons. Thus, the phenomenon of what actually motivates the occurrence of suicide can be examined from a social perspective, implicating society as a factor in stimulating an individual to commit suicide.

Analysis

Egoistic suicide occurs as a result of a lack of social integration, where these individuals are less bound by social norms and values, which allows greater freedom of thought and thus more deviant behavior, such as academic failure and crime. Age appears to be relevant as peaks in this category are seen in adolescents and the elderly. Social isolates also pertain to the egoistic group, as they do not benefit from social support or guidance. Another interesting group discerned in egoistic suicides is unmarried men where the stable influence of marriage and its stress of social norms and goals are not present. The opposite case of altruistic suicide also involves the impact of social cues.

Altruistic suicide is the reverse situation, resulting from an excess of social integration. For instance, members of gangs, the military, and groups like Al Quaeda pertain to this group because of the extreme social bond they have to their alliance. These individuals tend to become so committed to their group that they lose an individual perspective and thus overvalue the norms of their group. This results in their willingness to sacrifice their own life for the benefit of the group. Suicide rates pertaining to altruistic behavior are also increased among people in Japan, India, and preliterate societies. Normative or moral integration, such as anomie and fatalism, also defines groups prone to increased occurrences of suicide.

Anomie is defined as the state of individual alienation from society, which tends to result in unsocial behaviors. This social isolation can originate from either an excess or a lack of social integration, occurring more in urban societies where displays of increased social and professional specialization are seen, allowing for more heterogeneity and thus a loss of common culture. It is a paradoxical situation where the rate of suicides tends to increase when choices and freedoms increase, allowing individuals more control over their own lives. The resulting anomic condition is more likely seen during periods of prosperity and poverty, primarily affecting the mobile, professional, educated, and divorced people in the social group. This trend demonstrates that people need limits, and limits are set by a normative system where the norms inhibit chaos. When the norms are valued more successfully, suicide rates drop. Thus, prosperity, urbanism, education, and other highly promoted social factors may actually erode traditional limits and impact the occurrence of suicides.

Durkheim was highly interested in this category, and elaborated on its definition by sub-classifying anomie according to economics and domestic situations, to include acute and chronic economic anomie, and acute and chronic domestic anomie. With acute economic anomie, the group fails to meet the immediate traditional needs of the individual (i.e. religion), while chronic economic anomie factors in a long-term lack of social and moral guidelines. Durkheim noted the existence of this form of anomie during the period of the Industrial Revolution where the increased achievement of financial wealth failed to provide stable happiness, resulting in an increase in suicides among the wealthy class. The two forms of domestic anomie involve microsocial factors, such as family influences. For instance, in acute domestic anomie, widowhood is cited as an example as sudden changes in social life, and the inability to effectively and quickly adapt, influence the suicide rates. Chronic domestic anomie pertains to groups like married women where the institution of marriage has the tendency to overregulate their lives and restrict their opportunities for social and emotional growth. These associated forms of anomie present more evidence that social stimuli can impact the predisposition to suicidal tendencies.

Fatalism is the converse of anomie where the condition is that there is too much normative integration. It is more relevant to groups with high levels of commitments where the individuals have overregulated, unrewarding lives, but is rarely seen in modern society, which has a greater tendency to be anomic, suffering from too little normative integration. Examples of fatalistic groups where suicide rates apply include slaves, Waco, Jonestown, and the Islamic Jihad group. Childless, married women fall into this group as a result of the combination of marriage and lack of reward (children) influencing their social suffering.

Conclusion

One of the more interesting theories in Durkheim's functional approach to evaluating societal impact on suicide rates is that he demonstrated the social aspects pertaining to all individuals, where every social class was accounted for and categorized according to social influences. The sociological analysis of the social problem of suicide demonstrates an assimilation of a person's abnormal social and moral integration with his predisposition to kill himself. This implicates society's role in the alienation, deviation, or normative breakdown of its citizens, influencing the likelihood of suicide. Suicide is thus the result of more than an individual, psychological disturbance; it is the cumulative and predictable action of a disintegrated public.