What Is Durkheim's Theory Of Suicide In Modern Society

Throughout this essay, we will be looking a Durkheim’s analysis of suicide and whether his ideas on suicide were right in his time, and whether they are still relevant in today’s society. Emile Durkheim described ‘suicide’ as a term “applied to any death which is the direct or indirect result of a positive or negative act accomplished by the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result” (Durkheim, Suicide: a Study in Sociology, originally published 1897, 1970). Positive acts were acts that were undertaking with the intention to produce death. Negative acts were actually the distinct lack of survival acts undertaken, with the knowledge that without these acts, death would be the result. As far as Durkheim was concerned, although suicide itself is a very individual act, the reasoning behind suicide was due to predominantly social factors (Durkheim 1970, p44). Suicide was sociological, not psychological. His research was based not on the personality traits of those who had committed suicide, but instead at the suicide rates of different countries compared to the social factors that link the countries together (Durkheim 1970, p40).

As I was reading through the different views on the causes of suicide, I thought that the sociocultural view made most sense for me. It made sense due to the claim that a person’s connections with social groups, religions, and communities can determine suicide probability (Comer, 2014). I imagine a sliding spectrum where people who are very invested in everything around them are on one end and on the other are people who don’t care about society. The two ends are the high suicide probability areas. Altruistic suicides where lives are sacrificed would fall on the invested end of the spectrum while the egoistic suicides which society has no control over a person and anomic suicides where a person’s social environment fails to provide structure

Most of the depression and problems in the brain are based on sociological denial from peers and others. Teen suicide as described by Emile Durkheim’s studies is mainly a focus on the social denial and rejection an individual may encounter in life. Social rejection, sociological disasters and group dynamics are important aspects that lead to teenagers committing suicide. These sociological issues are some of the leading contributions towards teen suicide and

Causes of suicide vary but as technology advances new causes are apparent. Social media plays a major role in causes of suicide. Technology allows cyber bullying to happen frequently and recur until something or someone stops it. Victims of bullying often think they have no way out of their situation or feel like there is no help. People with suicidal thoughts struggle either mentally, physically, or emotionally. “Three million children are absent from school each month due to bullying. Twenty percent of those bullied kids have suicidal thoughts” (Bullying and Suicide, 2016, p.1). Media’s such as snapchat, instagram, twitter, or facebook all provide factual information about previous cases of suicide. Cyberbullying is a serious problem especially among adolescent girls. Girls are more likely than boys to attempt suicide due to cyberbullying, because girls are struggling to find themselves as a person (Bichell, 2013, p. 3). Any form of negativity or put down affects them, and who they are trying to become.

Imagine, the entire province of New Brunswick committing suicide. That is approximately how many people take their own lives over the course of a year. Suicide: a word that has become mum in our society for fear of offence. However, looking at it in a sociological view proves it less personal for many. Suicide is a multi-faceted, prevalent issue engulfing and affecting many today.

Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess different sociological explanations of suicide. (21 marks)

Suicide is the act of killing yourself. It is the 11th leading cause of death in America (CDC 2009). I have never had any intentions on committing suicide and I never really understood why people commit suicide that’s why I chose this topic to help me understand what problems people go through that makes them do such a thing. Sociology is the study of social behavior and the culture of humans. There are numerous reasons like financial stress, family problems or mental health disorders that lead to suicide. The number one cause of suicide is untreated depression. The issues that were just listed are some social conditions from society that results in a suicidal

Youth suicide is one of the leading health concerns for young people and it has claimed many lives in the past decades. Youths with suicidal thoughts would usually displays signs and symptoms and it is the parents’

Suicide is a permanent solution more often than not to a temporary problem, and sadly over the past ten years the number of teen suicides has risen. How much of a factor is new technology in this rise is hotly debated by parents and psychologist the world over. “The debate is not about how technological advancements like smart phones and high-speed internet and their availability to young people have changed the very fiber of how young people socialize as compared to even five years ago, but in how much it (technology) truly plays in teen suicides.”(Dr. Kashyap MD). Most young people have a cell phone and most have texting; many even have access to the

Price, Tom. "Social Media and Politics." CQ Researcher 12 Oct. 2012: 865-88. Web. 8 Sept. 2014.

Teen suicides have been on the rise since the 1970’s, making it the second leading cause of death among the youth within the U.S. Suicide is the act of taking one’s own life, intentionally. All of my sources have great information and some sort of stance in spite of all of the chaos with this topic. These authors include Emma Brown, Dahr Jamail, Sonia Nazario, Ophelia D. Johnson, Sara-Ellen Amster, Ames Alexander, Michele Ingrassia & John McCormick, Ruth Padawer, Colleen Diskin, Joanne Fox, Gregg Zoroya, Kathleen Megan, and Michael E. Young. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S and their are many factors that play a role in the process leading up to a suicide, including bullying, traumatic experiences, and mental illnesses.

In the modern, technological society we live in today, information can be shared instantaneously. This can usually be seen as a positive, by providing much needed information to the public in times of a crisis, or joyous celebrations of achievements. However, in contrast with the positive aspects there are also negative aspects. Cyber bullying of individuals and incessant harassment of individuals online has become a major problem in societies across the world, leading to suicide of individuals. People hide behind computer screens and diminish people, by spreading rumours, photos and videos in an attempt to humiliate others. This paper will discuss the views of two components of Durkheim’s theory of suicide (Egoistic and Anomic) and how they are the most dominant forms of suicide today and how they link to the events in our current society leading to the increase in teen suicides. This theory will be used to attempt to answer why teen suicide is on the rise. Durkheim’s theories will be emphasised by relating his theory of suicide to two recent cases of teen suicide in Canada; Rehtaeh Parsons and Amanda Todd- both were cyber bullied to the point of taking their own lives. These two cases will be used as examples to reinforce the issue of teen suicide today.

Teen suicide is a major problem in our society today. The adolescent suicide rate has tripled since 1960, while being the largest cause of death between the ages of 15 and 24. This is the one single age group that has seen an increase in suicides over the past thirty years. There are about 10,000 reported suicides reported annually. It is estimated however, that the true number of teen suicides is actually three to four times that number when unreported deaths are factored in.

In 2011, James Rodemeyer, a 14 year old junior high school student from Buffalo revealed his bisexuality via the World Wide Web. The weeks following Rodemeyer experienced taunting, name calling, assault and isolation from his peers. Even his close friends refused to sit with him at lunch. Later that year, James Rodemeyer committed suicide.This case is just one of many where an adolescent feels that their is no other solution than to end their life. It is estimated that, 42% of LGBT of youth have experienced bullying, and they are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than other teens (BullyingStatistics.org, 2016).

Youth Suicide Introduction Suicide is a tragic event. It has a profound personal effect on all associated with the person who died. Families, friends and society as a whole are affected. There is a particular poignancy when the suicide is that of a young person at the threshold of life. Australia has the fifth highest suicide rate per 100 000 persons in the world.