Theories Of Suicide By Emile Durkheim

Emile Durkheim is a French sociologist that is commonly labeled as the “father of sociology”. In his book Suicide, Durkheim studied the suicide rates in Catholic and Protestant communities. He argued that the suicide rates are higher in Protestant communities because Catholics have stronger social control over their community. His research concluded that even though men are more likely to commit suicide than women, women who are unmarried and childless are more likely to commit suicide then those who aren’t. Durkheim stated “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”. (Pickering 2000) He theorized that there are four different types of suicide:

Then patrollers sure would get you and beat you up. If they couldn’t catch you when you were running away from them, they would come on your master’s place and get you and beat you. The master would allow them to do it. They didn’t let the patrollers come on the Blackshear place, but this gal was so hard-headed ’bout goin’ out that they made a ’ception to her. And they intended to make her an example to the rest of the slaves. But they didn’t get Lucy” (1938). Suicide is the act of intentionally causing your own death. Whether you choose to do it anomically, egoistically, altruistically, or fatalistically, the act is still tragic. Durkheim theorized many different reasons why a person would commit suicide. He theorized that an uncontrolled environment, a feeling of worthlessness, heroicness, or oppression could push someone to take their own life. Whatever the cause may be don’t not wait to find out. There are many alternatives: talking to a friend, talking to a counselor, or calling the suicide hotline. Be an overcomer not a theorized