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Suicide as social logic
1Department of Psychology, University of Windsor, Ontario.
Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior
|January 1, 1994
Summary
Suicide is presented not as a mental disorder, but as a harmful idea, similar to societal norms. This perspective, drawing on sociological theories, highlights how the idea of suicide spreads and influences behavior.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Cultural Studies
Background:
- Suicide is commonly perceived as a symptom of depression or a consequence of negative life events.
- Existing theories often focus on internal psychological states and lethality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a novel conceptualization of suicide as an idea, drawing parallels with societal beliefs and norms.
- To contrast this with established concepts of perturbation and lethality in suicide theory.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of historical and cultural evidence.
- Examination of contagion/cluster phenomena.
- Review of media and communication's role in suicide.
- Investigation of method choice in suicide.
Main Results:
- Suicide shares characteristics with other socially transmitted ideas like fashion and political beliefs.
- Vulnerability to adopting the idea of suicide is influenced by principles of idea dissemination.
- Historical and cultural data support the conceptualization of suicide as an idea.
Conclusions:
- Suicide is best understood as a socially transmitted idea, not solely a mental disorder symptom.
- Societal factors significantly influence the spread and adoption of suicidal ideation.
- The concept of suicide as an idea offers new avenues for understanding and prevention.