Thinking Sociologically

How successful is Durkheim 's theory of suicide

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In his distinguished book Approaches to Social Enquiry : Advancing Knowledge

Blaikie notes that suicide according to Durkheim refers to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from positive or negative acts of the individual in question . Although it is an individual act it affects the society and has social causes . The society is created by individuals and it would therefore not exist if the individuals did not exist Blaikie N (2007 , 72 . This

will focus on the various types or categories as presented by Durkheim and it will also present the arguments raised against it by critics

Suicide according to Emile Durkheim can be classified into four categories the egoistic , anomic , fatalistic as well anomic . He emphasized on the role of social integration in influencing or rather determining suicide rates . The social bonds that exist between the individuals and their society play a vital role in determining the probability of committing suicide . Social regulation which is the opposite of social integration also affects the rates or probability of committing suicide . Morrison K (2006 , 214

In egoistic suicide , individuals portray weak commitment to group goals and norms and focus more on individual resources . In altruistic suicide there is more commitment to group goals and norms and suicide is viewed as a duty . Anomic suicide occurs when social changes take place in society and disrupt the social regulatory mechanisms leaving the society members confused as to what they ought to adhere to . The term anomie was coined to refer to the state of `lack of norms ' in a society attributed to social changes . To Durkheim , egoism is the tendency of people to detach themselves from the wider society and concentrating on individual or personal interests . It occurs when the social ties are weakened and favoured by individualism . This tendency is not good for society since it keeps them away from the societal collective attachments

As Ken Morrison in Marx , Durkheim , Weber : Formations of Modern Social Thought notes Durkheim established that Protestants are more likely to commit suicide as opposed to Catholics . To him , the role of religious integration was at work here . Religion instils values and morals while placing restrictions on people 's autonomy as well as their self reflection . It makes them more to the spiritual world . Morrison K (2006 , 216

Durkheim observed that Catholics differed from Protestants in the degree of their authority and they readily accepted without question the religious beliefs . This made the link between them and the church closer . The rituals they conducted also had an important role in increasing the degree of social integration . Protestants were quick to question the religious beliefs and this contributed by a large extent to the break down of social mechanism . They attachment to religious beliefs is highly reduced and individualism is encouraged . These observations led to Durkheim 's conclusion that the lack of effective social integration which leads to individualism that is characterized by...