Suicide

Suicide

Émile Durkheim was a French sociologist, well known for his focus on broad social topics, such as education, religion, and crime. Often credited as the “father of modern sociology,” Durkheim has contributed numerous works that have helped shape the field, including The Division of Labor in Society, The Rules of Sociological Method, and The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. In one of his most famous and widely examined works, Suicide: a Study in Sociology, Durkheim investigated the relationship between broad social forces and suicide. For this work, he collected information on demographics and suicide rates for several European countries.

Though it is valued as an impressive piece of empirical research, this work is considered especially important for two reasons. First, it is one of the earliest, widely published attempts to explain individual behavior as a function of broader social influence. Second, key to Durkheim's discussion of the causes of suicide is “anomie,” a concept that has become a relative staple in sociological research.

Types and Causes of Suicide

In Suicide, Durkheim identifies four main types of suicide, describes their social causes, and identifies characteristics of individuals that make them more or less likely to commit suicide. As previously stated, Durkheim used data from several European nations to perform his analysis. Consequently, he found that suicide rates were relatively consistent across nation-states. “The term suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result”. (Durkheim, 1951, p. 44)

With this definition, Durkheim sought to limit suicidal death as a result of those acts committed intentionally only by the individual. In doing so, he distinguishes between suicidal death and accidental deaths or homicide. Further, Durkheim described four main categories of suicide: egoistic suicide, altruistic suicide, fatalistic suicide, and anomic suicide.

In discussing the influence of society on the prevalence of suicide, Durkheim identified two key processes—social integration and moral regulation. By social integration, Durkheim is referring to the development of bonds with other individuals, groups, and/or institutions within society. Integration allows individuals to adopt social norms, values, and goals that serve to embed them in the fabric of society. With moral regulation, Durkheim emphasized the role of traditional social institutions and processes (i.e., marriage, religion, employment) in the regulation of individual behavior. Regulation is essential to ensure order and restrain the passions of individuals within ...