He concluded that there is significance in the rates of suicide to the probable social cohesion of the individual in society. The data collated lead Durkheim to categories suicide into four major groups which implied the degree to which the individual was integrated into society or the degree to which society has imposed on the individual. The possible groups that an individual who committed suicide would fall are Egoistic, Altruistic, Anomic or Fatalistic. Consequently, even though Le Suicide’ pioneered social research and is considered a classic in sociological study, its success, is heavily criticized. Critics believe that the study is littered with what statisticians describe as Ecological fallacy.
His trivialized view of the rational nature of suicide is one that I do not think translates to the American situation. Dalrymple views the large number of attempted suicide as being promoted by what he terms “the boredom of self-absorption”. The post attempt treatment that the patient receives is credited, according to Dalrymple, for giving him a sense of vitality. He also sees the attempted suicides as a way in which people try to avoid certain situations, whether they are an upcoming court hearing or the start of a new job. For Dalrymple, the overdose is the easiest way to relieve the crisis in their lives.
The main argument starts with Durkheim who explains that sociology can be a science. Durkheim uses the example of suicide and how we can study such a personal and individual act in an objective manner using statistics. From his studies of suicides Durkheim found that there were patterns in the suicide rate which meant that the act wasn’t a product of the individuals motives but instead a social fact. The suicide therefore had to be a result of wider social forces which we have no control over. Durkheim went on to explain that the social facts responsible for determining the suicide rate were the levels of integration and regulation an individual has in a society.
Durkheim’s study on suicide is viewed as a well-known paradigm in sociological studies. The purpose of this essay is to explain how Durkheim was able to show the social causes of suicide through the analysis of statistics across several countries (Hassan, 1998). Durkheim chose to study suicide because in the 19th century sociology was not entirely recognised as an area of academic interest (Finchman, Langer, Scourfield & Shiner, 2011). In addition to this, Durkheim wanted to show that suicide was not just an individual act and that sociology played a part. This essay also intends to explore how Durkheim was able to
In police culture, it is more powerfully stigmatized and viewed as a “coward’s way out” (Dahl, 2010). Dr. John Violanti highlights this perspective: "...police officers traditionally subscribe to a myth of indestructibility; they view suicide as particularly disgraceful to the victim officer and to the profession" (1995). What are the facts, impediments to treatment, and potential warning signs of police officer suicide? What is being done in our police departments to address this issue? What are potential solutions?
The deviant is one to whom that label has successfully been applied; deviant behavior is behavior that people so label." – Howard Becker, 1963. Labeling theory has its roots in Emile Durkheims studies into suicide where he expressed the view that deviance and crime is not so much about a specific violation of a penal code but more of an act that differs exceptionally from the social norm. Many people are labeled deviant even if they have not broken a specific law or even committed a crime. Society generally labels an individual as deviant if they differ from the social norms in appearance or behavior.
The ones that are against racial profiling have thought of an alternative solution, which is behavioral profiling. Behavioral profiling, hence the name, means to base the law enforcers' suspicion according to that person’s behavior instead of race. With this more effective system, it balances our protection from both terrorism and violating someone’s civil rights. One reasonable example on why we shouldn’t racial profile is the popular bomber in United Kingdom, Richard Reid, who doesn’t fit the profile that they have created for terrorists. Individuals have also made good arguments about the negative outcome that racial profiling might bring to our society.
Durkheim first began to work on the problem of suicide in 1888 when he offered a series of public lectures on the topic while he was at University of Bordeaux By 1897, Durkheim had published Suicide as a book length study and this constituted his third major sociological work Promoted from Bordeaux to Paris There are several reasons why Durkheim took up the theme of suicide when he did FIRST, by 1850 there was a spike in the suicide rates throughout Europe and many felt that this was associated with the development of industrial society Industrialization had advanced individualism, accelerated social fragmentation, and weakened the social bonds tying individuals to social groups outside themselves SECOND, industrial society made the economy dominant over other institutions This served to place the pursuit of self interest and private gain stage center over the collective purposes of society, accelerating social fragmentation As economic gain became the private affair of the individual, social separation and social isolation increased This set loose egoistic forces in which individuals withdrew to themselves and to the private ego in order to pursue their private economic interest THIRD, with the development of industrial society Durkheim found that the social bonds that once tied the individual directly to groups outside themselves began to decline As individualism accelerated, gaps formed between the individual and the points of social contact These gaps reduced the attachments to the family group, the religious group and the national group * Durkheim thought that the gaps that formed in industrial society were the result of declining integrative functions an that this showed up in the higher suicide rate of industrial society FOURTH, Durkheim discovered that the suicide data of different societies pointed to a direct link between higher
Content Book 1 – Extra Social Factors Suicide and Psychopathic states: Durkheim, as mentioned in the introduction, conducted the study of suicide to prove that it was social, rather than extra social factors that influenced suicide. The first extra social factor, to which suicide was mostly attributed to is insanity. Durkheim investigated this theory and pointed out that if suicide was caused by a certain insanity then this would be termed as ‘monomania’ – in Durkheim’s words, “a delirium of localized nature” that is, a person is otherwise normal but has sudden desires to drink or use abusive language. It was believed that a sudden emotional disturbance was enough to provoke monomania. However, Durkheim rejected this theory for two reasons; one, there is no concrete proof to show the existence of monomania, second, mental functions are completely dependent on one another, and insanity is present in one area, then it should also be present in another as well, that is if insanity affects one function it should affect at the other functions as well.
This diversity is apparent both in differing rates of suicidal behavior and cultural differences among individuals within racial and ethnic groups. Focus could be averted more on understanding how these groups differ in patterns of suicidal behaviors and cultural differences to perhaps increase or decrease the likelihood of thinking about or attempting suicide and seeking help or support. The article seemed to avoid immigrated people who have been disadvantaged or those that have