Sociology- Egoistic Suicide - Research Paper Example

and Number of the Teacher’s SOCIOLOGY EGOISTIC SUICIDE Introduction The sociologist Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) opposed the earlier belief that a person who committed suicide was mentally ill. Durkheim’s approach focused on the role and influence of society on human beharior. In his book on suicide (Durkheim, 1951) he developed four types of suicide: egoistic, fatalistic, altruistic and anomic. The sociologist’s contribution to our understanding of suicide “is the relationship between society and the person who commits suicide” (Holmes & Holmes 25). According to Durkheim, egoistic suicide is illustrated by the “greater rate of suicide among modern individuals in the liberal, more educated, more well-to-do classes” (Lemert 46). This type of suicide is caused not by knowledge and education itself, but by the individual becoming too individualistic as a result of modern society’s failure to integrate the individual and provide moral protection. Egoistic suicide is sometimes the outcome of a person no longer finding a basis for existence in life. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to examine Durkheim’s theory of egoistic suicide, identify the similarities and differences between egoistic suicide and other types of suicide, and discuss Durkheim’s theory on the rates of egoistic suicides. Emile Durkheim’s Theory of Egoistic Suicide In Durkheim’s (1951) book on suicide, the sociologist delineated the fundamental differences in rates and types of suicide between traditional and modern societies (Appelrouth & Edles 111). Egoistic suicide results from a pathological weakening of the bonds between an individual and the social group. According to Durkheim’s theory, the two explanatory variables are integration and regulation. In societies where integration is low egoistic suicide results; when integration is high altruistic suicide results; when regulation is low anomic suicide results; and when regulation is high fatalistic suicide results” (Breault & Barkey 321). The extent of regulation in society depends on the extent of its control on the emotions and motivations of individual members. Breault & Barkey (p.321) conducted a comparative cross-national test of Durkheim’s theory of egoistic suicide involving indicators of religious, family, and political integration; while excluding the theory of regulation. The results of the study showed that the relationships between religious integration and suicide, family integration and suicide, and between political integration and suicide are inversely proportional. Further, the relationships between the independent and dependent variables are strong and very significant. Together, the researchers’ indicators of relgious, family and political integration explain about 76 percent of the variation in international rates of suicide. Egoistic Suicide in Relation to the other Types of Suicide A similarity between anomic and egoistic suicide is that both spring from the individual’s inadequate engagement with society. In egoistic suicide there is a lack of interactions in society and collective or group activity in the person’s life, thereby causing an emptiness deprived of purpose and meaning. However, in anomic suicide, society’s influence on controlling an individual’s passions is lacking, causing an absence of a check-rein (Lemert 47). Thus, in egoistic suicide life may have been unbearable because of excessive self-discipline, while in anomic suicide life may have been unbearable due to inadequate self-discipline (Broom & Selznick 30). Similarly, there is both likeness and difference between egoistic and fatalistic suicide, because in both types one of the components is a lack of integration with society as a result of which life becomes devoid of meaning. However, in fatalistic suicide the person suffers a trapped feeling, and believes there is no escape (Lemert 47). In egoistic suicide there is no cause the individual dies for, the most important factor is the individual. This person is often bored with life, and tired of living. In egoistic suicide the individual is the centre of focus, and is the opposite of the altruistic type in which the cause is the reason for taking one’s own life (Holmes & Holmes 31). Thus, altruistic suicide occurs because the individual is deeply involved in group life, while egoistic suicide results from the individual being detached (Broom & Selznick 29). Durkheim’s Theory on the Rates of Egoistic Suicide Durkheim’s theory relating to the rates of egoistic suicide states that firstly, it will vary inversely with the strength of group regulation of members in families, religious institutions and political groups. Secondly, rates of suicide will differ according to the strength of family integration. Here the sociologist assumes that suicide rates will be higher among divorced individuals over married people; similarly suicide rates will be higher for single people rather than those married. Moreover, suicide rates will be higher for childless married people than for those who have children (Holmes & Holmes 32). Thirdly, rates of suicide will vary inversely with the strength of religious integration. In this connection, Durkheim believed that the rate of suicides is higher for Protestants than for Catholics (Holmes & Holmes 32). Protestants are more morally and spiritually isolated than the more community-oriented Jews and Catholics. Protestantism focuses on an individual’s relationship with God, which means that the person is less bound to the religious clergy or to the members of the congregation. According to Durkheim, rather than Catholic doctrine preventing recourse to suicide, the lower rate of suicide among them is because of their “social and spiritual bonds, and their association with the priests, nuns and other lay members of the congregation” (Appelrouth & Edles 111). Finally, the sociologist stated that “the rates of suicide will vary inversely with political integration” (Holmes & Holmes 32); and political integration being weaker during peacetime results in higher suicide rates as compared to wartime. Conclusion This paper has highlighted Emile Durkheim’s theory of egoistic suicide, compared the similarities and differences between egoistic suicide and the other types, and discussed Durkheim’s theory on the rates of egoistic suicide. It is concluded that in modern day society there is decreasing family ties, social bonds and community support. The outcome is that there is less group regulation, lower strength of family and group integration with individual members, and decreasing religious and political integration of the individual. These factors lead to individual-centrism and lack of bonds with other group members, which in turn increase the number of egoistic suicides. Works Cited Appelrouth, Scott & Edles, Laura D. Classical and contemporary sociological theory: Text and readings. California: Pine Forge Press. (2007). Breault, K.D. & Barkey, Karen. A comparative analysis of Durkheim’s theory of egoistic suicide. Sociological Quarterly, 23.3 (June 1982): pp.321-331. Broom, Leonard & Selznick, Philip. Sociology: A text with adapted readings. New York: Harper and Row. (1963). Durkheim, Emile. Suicide : A study in sociology. The United States of America: Simon and Schuster. (1951). Holmes, Ronald M. & Holmes, Stephen T. Suicide: Theory, practice, and investigation. New York: Sage. (2005). Lemert, Charles. Sociology after the crisis. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. (1995). Read More