Durkheim- "suicide"

“Suicide” Reading

Sociologist should define the social phenomenon he wishes to study as the object of his research groups of clearly circumscribed facts, using the methodology based on the fundamental principle that social facts must be studied as things, as realities external to the individuals.

Definition of Suicide:

Every case of death which results directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act, carried out y the victim himself, knowing that it will produce this result.

Durkheim’s approach is to study the social fact of suicide in relation to suicide rate and characteristic of the society. The suicide rate constitutes an order of facts which is unified and definite, is shown by its permanence and variability.

Social causes and social types

In determining the social types of suicide, Durkheim used aetiological classification rather morphological classification, by classifying the causes which produce them, first study the social conditions which are responsible o them, then group these conditions according to their similarities and difference.

Different cause he studied:

Apparently different social factors: such as
Religious denomination
Family and political society

All of them spell out the difference on social solidarity.

For example:

Knowledge vs Suicide:

In general, there is increasing of suicide rate with increasing of knowledge. Knowledge does not determine this increase. With the increased of knowledge, the religious society of which he forms part has lost its cohesion.

Types of Suicide

1. Egoistic suicide

Suicide varies inversely with the degree of integration of the social groups to which the individual belongs. Individual simultaneously detaches himself from society, i.e. his personality begins to predominate over the collective personality. Durkheim calls this state “egoism”, where the individual ego asserts itself to excess in the face of the social ego, this type of suicide that results from excessive individualism “egoistic”

2. Altruistic suicide

Opposing to egoistic, one is too integrated to society. Insufficient individualism has the same effect.

• Obligatory altruistic suicide, because it is his duty, if fails in this obligation, he is punished by being dishonoured and by religious sanction
• Option altruistic suicide, willingness of the Japanese, social prestige attached to suicide as an encouragement and reward
• Acute altruistic suicide, without specific reason, purely for the joy of killing himself.

One thing in common, that is they love something else more than themselves.

3. Anomic suicide

(presuming that insatiable human need requires regulating from society, external power, such as religion, family, government control etc)

Anomie is a state in which there is weak social regulation between the society’s norms and the individual, most often brought on by dramatic changes in economic and or social circumstances. Such as in modern society, when society is less integrated, where religious has lost most of its power to regulate individual moral action and behaviour and the government, rather regulating economic life, has become its instrument and servant. Anomie suicide happens.

Comparing with egoistic suicide, both come from society’s insufficient presence in individuals, in egoistic society is deficient in truly collective activity, thus leaving it deprived of objects and meaning, in anomic suicide, society has a weak presence in the really individual passions, leaving them without a restraining influence.

4. Fatalistic suicide: when social regulation is too strong, one feels hopeless and extremely oppressed, it will happen.