Perspective On Suicide And Durkheim's Theory Of Suicide

While the individual act of suicide is personal and the specific method may vary, Durkheim (2012) proposed that fluctuations in the overall suicide rate in any society, or social group, are the result of changing social conditions. His analysis of suicide rates introduced the concept of anomie, or deregulation, to sociological discourse. Since then, the concept of anomie has undergone significant expansion, and it remains relevant to societies in an increasingly globalised world; however, during this expansion, some of Durkheim’s original description may have been overlooked leading to a contemporary concept of anomie that is somewhat different from the original.
In order to examine the concept of anomie fully, it is necessary to place it in context by exploring Durkheim’s theory of suicide. According to his theory, an individual’s decision …show more content…
Specifically, the amount of moral regulation and social integration that an individual experiences within their society impacts on their desire to continue or end their life. Integration refers to the social relations that connect an individual to others within a society or social group, while regulation refers to the moral demands that are placed on an individual as a result of an individual’s group memberships (Bearman 1991, 502). Depending on the extent of regulation or integration an individual experiences, Durkheim (2012, 111) defined four types of suicide: anomic, egoistic, altruistic, and fatalistic. Durkheim (2012, 112) stated that these four types are ideal types, and that differentiation between the four types cannot be done with absolute accuracy. Because of this, there has been some debate surrounding the validity of Durkheim’s four types of suicide. Graeff and Mehlkop (2007) suggested that the four types of suicide in Durkheim’s theory all result from anomie. Therefore, there is only one type of suicide, which is anomic suicide. In contrast,