Durkheim revisited: "Why do women kill themselves?"

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Psychology
• Criminology

Background:

• Émile Durkheim identified four social types of suicide: egoistic, anomic, fatalistic, and altruistic.
• Durkheim associated egoistic and anomic suicide with modern Western societies, and fatalistic and altruistic types with pre-industrial societies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the relevance of Durkheim's altruistic/fatalistic suicide categories in understanding contemporary female suicidal behavior.
• To explore the potential for differing social worlds inhabited by men and women.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of Durkheim's suicide typologies.
• Review of contemporary studies on female suicidal behavior and depression.
• Examination of personality characteristics and behavioral indices associated with female suicide.

Main Results:

• Contemporary female suicidal behavior exhibits personality traits (low self-esteem, passivity, dependence) and behavioral indices (impersonalism, submissiveness) aligning with Durkheim's altruistic/fatalistic categories.
• These findings suggest a potential lack of individuation in female suicidal behavior.

Conclusions:

• Durkheim's altruistic/fatalistic suicide categories may be relevant for explaining female suicidal behavior in modern society.
• This hypothesis supports the idea that men and women inhabit distinct social worlds.