Durkheim's Suicide And Anomiic Suicide

Emile Durkheim was one of the most influential people to write about suicide and its causes. Suicide had previously been thought to be a moral and psychological problem whereas Durkheim related suicide to sociological problems in modern society. He believed and worked to prove that suicide was not related to individualism but linked to the effects of the external influences of modern society. External social influences upon an individual covered the broad and varied aspects such as culture, religion and family. Durkheim believed that suicide was directly related to the level of social integration and/or regulation of a person in society. He developed groups into which an individual was categorised according to their level of integration

Traditionally, suicide was thought to be a purely individual decision but French sociologist Emile Durkheim recognized that the phenomenon had a social dimension. He believed in the influence of society on the individual and that if anything can explain that relation, it is suicide. His use of the data of suicide, not specific cases and reports, to study the societal trends reveals his true subject of study: society as a whole and its role in the individual experience. Durkheim uses the study of suicide via the quantitative methodological approach as a tool to study society as a broader whole.

Durkheim was very famous for his study of suicide. He defined the four types of suicide and supported his theory that changes in nonmaterial social facts cause differences in suicide rates.

In his article, Phillips says that the Department of Veteran Affairs and the military’s suicide data is incomplete or old, and the two agencies do not share information that would allow them to monitor troops over time (Phillps, 2015). As a result, these institutions are unable to improve their methods of reintegration, to decrease suicide rates. Specifically, Durkheim would refer to this type of suicide as anomic suicide. According to Durkheim, anomic suicide occurs when an individual lacks moral regulation, this means that the individual experiences confusion about his social and moral norms because of an intense social and personal change (Appelrouth & Edles, 2016). As a society we value members of the military and praise them for their service, yet the institutions set in place to reincorporate these veterans back into mainstream society, fail to do so. This is evident in therapeutic practices that force veterans to relive tragic moments experienced in combat, or experts misunderstand the problems that the veterans experience. Many of the experts are inadequately trained to help the veterans deal with grief. Mr. Bojorquez, experiences this very thing during a visit with a therapist at the VA for help, where he is told to get over the deaths of his comrades, by dealing with them as a bad break up (Phillips,

The importance of social factors over the individual can also be seen in Durkheim’s work on suicide (Stones, 2008). Suicide was explained in terms of two independent variables, integration in society and regulation by society. Low levels of integration led to egoistic suicide, while low levels of regulation led to anomic suicide. Durkheim cited egoism and anomie as the main causes of suicide in the modern world; a world which he believed showed less interaction and people thinking more about themselves than others. As a result, people are less bound to one another, there is less community and social control is weaker (Stones, 2008). Durkheim applied his

Durkheim was a functionalist, and theorised that a holistic social narrative could be identified which would explain individual behaviour. He argued that, whilst society was made up of its members, it was greater than the sum of its parts, and was an external pressure that determined the behaviour of the individuals within it. At that time, suicide rates in Europe were rising, and so the causes of suicide were on the agenda. Since suicide is seen as an intrinsically personal and individual action, establishing it as having societal causes would be a strong defence for Durkheim’s functionalist perspective. Durkheim used the comparative method to study the official suicide rates of various European countries. While he was not the first to

Durkheim focuses on the stability of society, and discusses the social causes of suicide. His work shows how ideology contributes to stability, and he describes abnormal conditions as anomie. Durkheim states, "in normal conditions the collective order is regarded as just by the great majority of persons …[b]ut when society is disturbed by some painful crisis or by beneficent but abrupt transitions, it is momentarily incapable of exercising this influence [of limiting desires]"

Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist credited with developing the functionalist theory. He believed that society should be viewed as a structure with each person playing a role, creating, to some extent a “functional” society. He also stated that society is held together through mutual acceptance of various norms and values. Durkheim published “Suicide” in 1897, which as the title suggests is centred round suicide and the patterns of suicide within society, a subject which at the time was seen as taboo. He believed that sociological influences were contributing factors of suicide, although the act itself is considered by society to be, one of individual choice. Durkheim also suggested that “anomie” played a pivotal role in suicide.

Thesis Statement: At the end of my informative speech, my audience will know more about the Military Suicide Issue and how the number of military or veterans deaths by suicide has been increasing at an alarming rate, the common misconceptions about the possible reasons why current and former military members are taking their own lives and finally what is being done to try and resolve this issue.

Yet, the increasing suicide rate continued, and even veterans with stable homes and psychological help committed suicide. This discourse between the veterans and society, was what Durkheim emphasized in his studies about suicide. Human beings are by nature more likely to be dissatisfied with what they possess. Because of this dissatisfaction, the individuals are left to their own devices. Initially, there were no external forces to regulate these individuals and their constant need for more. This only proved to be a source of torment for humans because their need is incapable of satisfaction. As time passed, this necessity for control overpowered the consistent want, and collective society as a whole started to assume responsibility. As humans submit to this pressure they soon become aware of the hierarchy of society, and soon enough becomes complacent with their social position. Their spirit may be tested, but the complacency as well as continuous public opinion, serves as a barrier to assure that they never reach too far. (appelrouth and Edles 2016). Veterans are different in this assertion, because the assumption of transitioning with ease is alive in modern collective society, causing a growing gap between complacency and order when they return back home. They are not pleased with their social

Following the year 2013, suicide rates amongst Active Duty personnel decreased, yet rose for Reserve and National Guard units across the United States (Baldor 2014). This was due in part to the lack of resources available to Reserves and Guard units that were called to serve in foreign lands. The Defense Science Board conducted their own internal investigation on Reserve and Guard suicide rates and concluded, “The task force was impressed with the dedication and professionalism of the members of the National Guard and reserves. They are performing to a very high standard under great strain. The task force is very concerned for their future if the strain is not relieved” (2007). The report further explains that active duty personnel work full time in their respective units, whereas reservists demobilize and lose the support from their command’s peers and that active personnel have more access to health facilities, compared to reserve personnel who can only have limited access. Reservists and Guardsmen often face other stressors, for example sudden change after a long and tedious deployment back to a civilian career.

depression is a serious mental and medical illness that will make you feel sad or blue from the day you wake up to the night you fall asleep. Some signs of depression are, changes in appetite sleep or energy and also feeling empty, hopelessness, guilty, and worthless. Depression can be associated with disabilities, decreased health related life, and suicide risk. Studies the younger the veteran the most risk of suicide or major depression than older vets. Females are less likely to commit suicide, men are 3 times probable than women. Veterans like Albert Patterson live in horror after war. Patterson is a veteran who fought in the Vietnam war in the late sixties. When the war was over he was called a hero and was awarded many medals for his duty, but he was changed man than when he left. Patterson was haunted with images of terror: friends killed in front of him, bodies blown up from grenades and missiles, A scar from a burning shell of a grenade that will be with him for the rest of his

(2012) suggest that suicide prevention strategies must be implemented by professionals who understand military culture and the unique pressures of social cohesion and mental health stigma. Braswell and Kushner (2012, p. 535) agree that efforts must be implemented in a way that “account for the lived experience of soldiers.” Although these recommendations are in line with a growing body of academic scholarship on the topic of military suicide, it will be difficult to implement successful policy without a better understanding of what is behind the difference and change in suicide rate. With incomplete information or a lack of causality, policymakers will be unprepared to determine if the outcomes of their actions are an improvement compared to maintenance of current

Suicide is a major leading cause of death and a widespread concern which occurs at alarming rates in the specific population of the military. One of the main risk factors in of suicide in this population is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is a great deal of research which analyzes this relationship. There are many elements that serve as contributing factors to the correlation between suicide and PTSD. PTSD-related suicide among soldiers is due to a number of intervening aspects including combat exposure, moral injury, self-forgiveness, social support, and traumatic brain injury.

This writing supplies statistical data in regard to veterans suicide, but also goes on to question not only why this is happening, but what is causing it. I found it very helpful for the purpose of my writing to draw on the information provided such as, “Army infantrymen and combat engineers killed themselves at substantially higher rates before and after deployment than while stationed overseas. A sensation-seeking personality or other background characteristics may serve these soldiers well in war zones, but boost the odds that they’ll become suicidal before and after their tours of duty, suggests Harvard psychologist and study coauthor Matthew Nock.” I located this article using the EBSCO Host web site academic search under “Veteran