...Consider Emile Durkheim’s approach to the study of suicide. Why does he associate egoistic suicide with modern society and altruistic suicide with pre-modern suicide? Emile Durkheim goes to great lengths in this article to describe the many different types of suicide and how they affect society. He believes that social influences have a large part to play with suicide rates in different countries. He looks to take the matter away from the individual and focus on how and why suicide rates among different classes, genders, and age groups are similar throughout different countries. Durkheim goes on to discuss the different reasons why people may commit suicide. These include people been over- integrated into society or altruistic suicide, under integrated into society or egotistic suicide, having too much moral regulation or fatalistic suicide and having too little moral regulation or anomic suicide. This assignment will discuss all these different factors and will comment on why Durkheim associates different types of suicide to different types of suicide. Durkheim defines suicide as “The term suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or a negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result” (E. Durkheim, suicide: A Study in Sociology, pg 214). A positive action like shooting or stabbing oneself is the same as refusing to eat food knowing that you will die as a direct result of your actions or non actions...
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...Suicide Essay Plan P- Durkheim is a positivist E- Suicide is not an individual act its due to social integration, moral regulation and the 4 types of suicide (anomic, altruistic, fatalistic and egoistic) R- An example of Altruistic- Japanese kamikaze pilots who risk their life in a suicide attack in honour of their country. C- Interpretivists criticise the use of official statistics - social construct + doesn't explain the social factors that can cause an individual to commit suicide - due to suicidal forces being unable to be seen or measures, the theory has no true evidence= invalid or reliable Y- Durkheim’s theory contributes to our understanding of suicide as it explains the patterns within suicide statistics. P- Interpretivists look at the meaning of suicide rather than social structure- Douglas - suicide notes, diaries, interviews E- Social meaning -catholics are less likely to class the act as suicide as they are ashamed and therefore cover it up- no true representation of suicide rates -Four types of suicide (self repentance, sympathy, revenge and escape) Support (Jean Beachler) develops on Douglas- explained through personal factors instead of external thought case studies R- Sympathy example- dad kills himself after son shots himself with dad’s gun. C-definition of suicide may be different in cultures- japan sees suicide as an honour -provides an detailed explanation to why people commit suicide Y- This theory is useful as it look into depth...
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...limitations of using qualitative documents as a means for investigating suicide. Those who commit suicide may often leave a suicide note. The suicide note is a type of qualitative document. On the qualitative document it may show or explain the reason why they are committing suicide or what has happened to them. This is the closest researchers will get to receiving information from the actor as they will no longer be with us by the time the suicide note is found. However, the suicide note may be concealed by relatives or friends. In reference to item C, “The loss of someone through suicide often results in strong responses and emotions.” “Many of the friends and relatives will be in a state of shock and grief.” Due to the grief they are now experiencing once finding the suicide note they may destroy it to hide the meaning of their death, or hold onto it before higher authorities such as police of forensics get hold of it as they may find it too personal to expose the actor. Qualitative data such as documents may be hard for a researcher to gain access to. Types of qualitative data such as their medical notes would be confidential, therefore not for a researcher to look at. The medical notes may play a key part in their research for suicide to see whether there were any mental health problems or illnesses which may have made the actor commit suicide. In reference to item C, “Not all people who die by suicide have mental health problems”. Knowing whether they did or did not would...
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...Assess the different sociological explanations of suicide- (21 marks) Suicide is define different by many sociologists. The overall definition is for an individual to cause harm to themselves, with the intent to kill themselves. Many different sociologists believe in different reasoning to acts of suicide and uses different research methods including qualitative and quantitative data. I will uses sociologists such as Durkheim, Douglas, Atkinson and Taylor to assess this view. Durkheim takes a positivist view and believes that social factors is the main factor for why people commit suicide. He suggests that suicide rates are social facts. He used quantitative data (official statistics) and discovered certain patterns: that suicide rates remained constant over time, the differed in different society, if rates did change it was coincided with other changes and within society, the suicide rates differ in different social groups. He believes the social factors are social integration and moral regulations. Social integration is when the individual feels apart of a group, and has a stronger bond. Moral regulations suggest strong norms and values in which individuals desire to follow. Durkheim say without these, people’s desires are infinite and incapable of satisfaction. Durkheim states four types of suicide: egoistic, altruistic, fatalistic and anomic suicide. Egoistic is when an individual has too little integration and becomes selfish and isolated in which they feel they do not...
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...Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of different sociological approaches to suicide. Suicide can be defined as an intentional act of killing oneself, it is thought that the study of suicide would be more appropriate to be studied by psychologists since the main reason of suicide is the consequence of mental illness. However, a positivist sociologist, Emile Durkheim rejected this view. He believes that suicide has social causes and is a social fact that has predictable patterns. Nonetheless, this is a controversial topic and there are many other sociologists who have contributed to the study by offering their own points of view of how to categorising and interpreting data. We shall discuss their different approaches further in this essay. As it is said, Durkheim rejects the psychological theories of suicide; evidently he shows that while Jews had higher rates of mental illness than Protestants, they had lower suicide rates. In Durkheim’s view, our behaviour is constrained by social facts – according to Steven Lukes, they are greater and out of reach of individuals and they shape our behaviours. These social facts vary in different groups and societies, explaining the differences in suicide rate. There are two social facts that determine the rate of suicide: social integration, which is the extent to which individuals experience a sense of belonging to a group and obligation to its members. They feel a strong bond and duty towards others. The other...
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...Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of different sociological approaches to suicide There are many different sociological views which approach suicide. Positivists think that suicide can be explained simply by looking at official statistics and there are distinct reasons for every suicide. Interpretists think that there is a reason behind every suicide and this can be found through qualitative studies. Realists think that there are further structural causes behind suicide. Each view is useful in explaining relationships between suicides however; none provide solid reasons behind it. Durkheim used suicide to show that a scientific sociology was possible. In Durkheim's view, our behaviour is asocial fact, social forces found in the structure of our society. Through the use of official statistics he studied facts that shape behaviours. Suicide rates for any society remained more or less constant over time, when rates changed they could be attributed to other factors. For example, the rates fell during wartime while they rose at times of economic depression and at times of rising prosperity. Different societies were seen to have different suicide rates and within society, different social groups had different suicide rates. Two factors, integration and regulation determine the type and level of suicide. Integration refers to the extent to which individuals experience a sense of belonging to a group and obligation to its members, whereas regulation is...
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...Qualitative documents to investigate suicide would be favored by interpretivists. These documents are personal to the family and friends of the person who took their own life. They might include suicide notes, emails, texts or personal diary ect. The strengths of using personal documents is that they are free from the Hawthorn effect because at the time of writing them they were unaware that anyone would be using them for an investigation on suicide. Qualitative documents, will most likely include lots of detail, rather than just statistics. Therefore, the researcher will have a lot of material to study, and get a much clearer idea as to why the individual committed suicide. Interpretivists would like qualitative documents as they are likely to include lots of rich detail which would give the researcher a good chance of finding out why the individual decided to end their life. However such great details does come with its limitations as so much information means that the sociologists has to look though so much. Not only this but you are going to need plenty of personal documents from lots of different people to be able to spot a pattern. Durkheim noticed that there were 4 different reasons as to why people commit suicide. These included egoistic, altruistic, anomic and fatalistic. Although Durkheim’s research was useful when it come to studding suicide he missed out that people may choose to take their own life due to psychological reasons or due to a long term illness. This...
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...Using material from item A and elsewhere, examine some of the reasons why there might be ‘correlations between suicides and other sets of social facts’ (12 marks) A correlation is a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things. Some distinctive correlations between suicide and other sets of social factors would include correlations such as the correlation between suicide and religion and suicide and marriage. For example the item includes one correlation stating that “suicide rates were higher in predominantly protestant countries” Suicide has been defined by Durkheim, although it has been defined in four ways as suicide is too complex to define in one way, these definitions being Altruistic, Egoistic, Anomic and Fatalistic. Although Douglas has stated that there are more in depth and more accurate definitions of suicide. Starting with the first correlation being suicide and religion, in relation to this, Durkheim’s definition of Egoistic suicide explains that in egoistic societies, individual rights, interests and welfare are heavily stressed and allegiance to the wider group is weak, with people being encourages to look after themselves and those particularly close to them at the expense of the wider society. Egoistic Suicide is defined as suicide in societies where people regard their own individual happiness as very important. As a result, social bonds are weak and there is a low level of social integration. Egoistic societies are often closely related to...
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...Assess the usefulness of sociological approaches to suicide (21) Durkheim argues our behaviour is caused by social facts; social forces found in the structure of society. Lukes argues social facts have three features; they’re external to individuals, they constrain individuals shaping their behaviour and they’re greater than individuals, they exist on a different level from the individual. Durkheim argues the suicide rate is a social fact. Using quantitative data from official statistics Durkheim analysed the suicide rate from various European countries. He noted four regular patterns. The suicide rate for any given society remained more or less constant over time. When the rates did change they coincided with other changes. For example rates fell during wartime, but rose during economic depression. Different societies had different rates. Within a society the rates varies considerably between social groups. For example Catholics had lower rates than Protestants. For Durkheim these patterns were evidence that suicide rates couldn’t simply be the result of the motives of individuals. Durkheim explains the suicide rate as the effect of social facts acting on the individual. In different societies these forces act with different degrees of intensity resulting in different suicide rates. Durkheim argues suicide results from either too much or too little social integration. He creates a typology of suicide. Egoistic suicide is caused by too little social integration. Durkheim...
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...Deviance Final paper 18/12/2015 Suicide as a form of deviant behavior Introduction Deviant behavior is defined as any behavior or an act that goes against the established certain social norms in one specific society. As norms change in time, so does the description of deviant behavior. Deviant behavior as an element of social life is the subject of sociology and social psychology. The history of sociology of deviance is presented in a variety of monographs, textbooks and articles ( Ivanova E., 2014 ). However it is poor reflected in the history of Kyrgyz sociological studies of deviance as well as in the formation of Kyrgyz sociology of deviance. Sociology of deviant behavior and suicide behavior holds a strong position as a special theory of suicide within the structure of sociological knowledge (Problem of sociological research, pg. 1). Suicide can be seen as the ultimate deviant act. So it is important to know how it is measured in official statistics. According to the latest World Health Ranking data published in May 2014 Suicide Deaths in Kyrgyzstan reached 1.43% of total deaths. The age adjusted Death Rate ranks of Kyrgyzstan is 79th in the world (World Health Organization, 2015). This paper focuses on suicidal behaviour within the traditional society of Kyrgyzstan. According to established norms and values of traditional society the suicide attempt is extremely shameful and it is a form of deviant behaviour. The aim...
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...CHAPTER ONE TOPIC The Impact of Suicide among East Indian Males in Johanna Black Bush Polder. 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY “Suicide” is a constant threat in the Guyanese society. Apart from these stolen lives there are also those living with permanent mental and also physical scars from unsuccessful attempts. Everyday in Guyana people are attempting suicide and this trend continues to present itself. According to Danns (2001) an amazing 76.2 % of suicide deaths are from the East Indian community. Suicide among East Indian males in over the years have increased. There has been outcry from the entire community because of the impact that this phenomena has on the family and the neighboorhood. This suicidal tendency has created fear and a sense of desperation thinking of whom or what will be next. Suicide has and is still a constant problem in Guyana. There has been over the years scored of suicidal attempts and its impact is devastating. East Indian men are regularly committing suicide especially in the County of Berbice. Macionis (1999) defines suicide as “the act of deliberately killing oneself and the cause of action is extremely damaging to one’s interest. However, Granello (2007) said that suicide is the act of killing oneself. 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Suicide is often seen as a minor issue in society but when carefully analyzed it was revealed that it has devastating effects on the families, the communities and even a nation. For examples everyday...
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...Understanding Society – SOSC 1850 Notes Lecture 1 Common Question Answers 1) Britain and US highest teenage pregnancy 2) 36% of US believe in Aliens 3) Suicides highest number of deaths 4) 60% of gun related were suicides 5) False not double stress of US that results in higher rates of suicide 6) Over 65 most suicides 7) Canada and Australia have highest kidnapping rates 8) Sweden highest rape rate 9) ¾ steal in office 10) False couples live tgt more satisfied 11) True, Womens brain are smaller 12) 11 women in legco 13) Plumber is a women 14) Margaret Thatcher did Chemistry for undergraduate Lecture 2 What is Sociology? - The big picture. * The group, culture, of organization, rather than the individual. Lots of people talk about society, but are they sociologists? No they are individualistic thinkers. They talk about individual people and cases instead of the group. Individualistic thinking at Universities: Professors award individual students with grades based on their ‘individual’ merits. What would the SOCIOLOGIST ask? Do some students have to work to earn money? Do some students have to spend time commuting to campus (no dorms!)? Do some students have family responsibilities.? Do some courses/majors have more generous grading procedures than others? Why are there more A students now than there were twenty years ago??? When and Why did sociological thinking begin? SOCRATES: “An unexamined life is not worth living...
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...Suicide is the action of intentionally killing oneself. According to statistics, there has bee a significant increase of 80% suicides, since the previous year. Durkheim believed that suicide rates were dependent on social factors, related to both scientific laws and facts, such as religion, education and the media. Durkheim conducted a range of research to prove these predictions. For example, he found that Catholics had lower suicide rates than Protestants. From these findings concluded that suicide is caused by social factors such as too little/too much social integration and too little/too much moral regulation. Within the Catholic Church suicide is seen as a sin therefore due to this religious tie Catholics are less likely to commit suicide. Additionally, an example of suicide based on too much moral regulation is Palestinian suicide bombings. According to Durkheim, these two social factors create a typology of suicide. Altruistic suicide is due to too much social integration. Egoistic suicide is due to too little social integration. Fatalistic suicide is due to too much moral regulation. Anomic suicide is due to too little moral regulation. Furthermore, many positivists have built on Durkheim’s work. Including Sainsbury who found that social disorganisation, Anomic suicide, was the most popular type of suicide and Hallowach who found urban to rural changes make Egoistic suicide more likely. Durkheim’s work, being a Positivist, made making generalisations possible...
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...Chapter 3 Review Questions 1. What aspects of a person’s life are included in mental health?: They have high self esteem and feel good about themselves, they are realistic and accept imperfections in themselves and others, they are altruistic; they help others, they have a sense of control over their lives and feel capable of meeting challenges and solving problems, they demonstrate social competence in their relationships with other people and they believe that they can rely on them, they are not overwhelmed by fear, love, or anger; they try to control irrational thoughts and levels of stress. They are optimistic; they maintain a positive outlook, they have a capacity for intimacy; they do not fear commitment, they are creative and appreciate creativity in others, they take reasonable risks in order to grow, they bounce back from adversity. 2. What are the six “virtues” identified in the text, and how are they defined? (1) Wisdom and knowledge: cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge. (2) Courage: emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external or internal. (3) Humanity: interpersonal strengths that involve “tending and befriending” others. (4) Justice: civic strengths that underlie healthy community life. (5) Temperance: strengths that protect against excess. (6) Transcendence: strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning. 3. What are some of...
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...have a lasting effect on this character? In what ways did this character change by the end of the story? The book begins with the idea of that we are simple minded. We all have one trait that we happen to be adept in, and in order to keep the peace and happiness, we need to be with like-minded people. Unfortunately, Tris does not conform with this particular set of beliefs. She is immediately set apart because she doesn’t have a particular aptitude for one of the five categories. Her test results read that she was intelligent, brave, and selfless, which can only mean one thing- she is Divergent. Throughout the book we notice how she is in constant turmoil because she can’t decide if she is more dauntless, or more altruistic. Halfway through the book, Al commits suicide by throwing himself into a chasm. She goes to Tobias, unable to handle the fact that Al is being treated like a hero for his gutlessness. While there, Tobias helps her comes to terms that no matter how she tries she won’t be able to pick one trait. “‘Because you’re from Abnegation,’ he says, ‘and it’s when you’re acting selflessly that you are at your bravest.’” (Roth, 311) She finally comes to accept that she can’t be one if she’s both. Earlier she needed to protect Al from Eric, so she stood in front of a target board without flinching the entire time Tobias threw knives at her, just to ensure that Al would be safe. Tris is a character I admire because she doesn’t act superficial or think about trivial things...
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