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Suicide – Section 5

Revision – things I need to know for this section

+Interpretivists approach to suicide

interpretivists study suicide in a NON-SCIENTIFIC manner.

interpretivists look to try and understand WHY people commit suicide, so they reject the use of statistics.

interpretivists like QUALITATIVE RESEARCH – so using interviews and words, feelings, and emotions.

they reject that sociology is a science as they believe HUMANS ARE UNPREDICTABLE.

WHAT THEY BELIEVE

+Interpretivists approach to suicide

Douglas (an interpretivists) argued that suicide statistics are based on the coroners decisions as to whether they decide If the death is suicide or not, so the coroners verdict is based on interpretation. – (in some religions such as protestant Catholics it is seen as a sin to commit suicide so the coroner may say it wasn’t suicide as it looks bad)

Douglas's problem with official statistics is that the decision of suicide is taken by the coroner and influenced by other social actions, so it may be BIAS.

he feels that qualitative data is preferable in the study of suicide as we must classify death according to its actual meaning for the deceased.

So we must use qualitative data and sources to produce case studies based on suicide notes and diaries – also in depth interviews with the suicides friends and family so build up a typology of suicidal meanings.

SOCIOLOGIST 1 – DOUGLAS 1967:

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Douglas looks at 3 stages as clues to why the person committed suicide:

1. stage 1 : how do we give meaning to the act of suicide:

analysis of suicide notes

examination of diaries

interviews with close family and friends

Analyzing recent events

Stage 2: look for patterns and trends:

revenge suicide

escape suicide

repentance sucide

Self punishment suicide

Interpretivists approach to suicideSOCIOLOGIST 1 – DOUGLAS

1967:

3. Stage 3: link these patterns to the wider belief of the culture

some cultures feel that it is perfectly acceptable, and even heroic to commit suicide

e.g. suicide bombers

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Baechler developed Douglas's approach and looks at what solutions came out of people committing suicide

Basically Baechler is looking to see what motivates people to commit suicide

1. escapist suicide: this type of suicide happens when someone wants to escape an unbearable situation

2. aggressive suicides: this type of suicide aims to hurt or harm somebody else. (perhaps to bring guilt to a person)

3. oblative suicides: this type of suicide is used to gain something which is desired e.g. going to heaven

4. ludic suicides: this type of suicide is done for the risk and excitement it brings out

Interpretivists approach to suicideSOCIOLOGIST 2 – BAECHLER

1979:

Baechler focuses on person reasons for committing suicide as all of them are PERSONAL ISSUES.

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Weakness’s of Douglas and Baechler’s research

Douglas and Baechler imply that suicide statistics can never be reliable since its always a matter of judgement whether a death is a suicide, but at other times he suggests that causes of suicide can be found; it’s difficult to see how this can be true if its impossible to be certain whether an act is a suicide. – so he contradicts himself

Taylor points out that individual cases often fit a number of categories, depending on the interpretation the researcher makes of the victim’s motives, and there is no reason to believe that these interpretations are any more reliable than suicide statistics.

Interpretivism: Evaluation of Douglas and Baechler’s research

Strengths of Douglas & Baechler’s research: They look into WHY people

commit suicide and outside social explanations

they look at people individually and take their feelings and motives into account rather than relying on perhaps wrong statistics.

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Positivists say that sociology is a SCIENCE

They believe that human behavior is predictable

They use QUANTITATIVE data such as questionnaires and official statistics where they look for trends and patterns in suicide rates

Positivists approach to suicide

WHAT THEY BELIEVE

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Durkheim is a positivist and argued and wanted to prove that our actions are influenced by wider social factors that we have no control over. ( that human behavior can be predicted)

He used the comparative method where he compared official statistics using different countries.

He discovered that suicide varies according to: religion, family size, political/national crises, economic conditions, occupational groups, the divorce rate.

Positivists approach to suicide

SOCIOLOGIST 1 – DURKHEIM:

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He said there were 2 SOCIAL FACTORS which determined suicide rates which are:-

1. Social integration: the individuals commitment to norms, values, beliefs.

2. Moral regulation- societal/group control over individual desires.

A Balance of both integration and regulation is good

But Any IMBALANCE increases suicide.

Positivists approach to suicide

SOCIOLOGIST 1 – DURKHEIM:

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Durkheim also said that there are 4 TYPES OF SUICIDE

1. Lack of integration = Egoistic (results from lack of social integration. Durkheim believed that people who commit suicide do not feel a strong sense of community)

2. Over integration = Altruistic (This type of suicide occurs when individuals and the group are too close and intimate.)

3. Lack of regulation =Anomic (This type of suicide is due to certain breakdown of social balance, such as, suicide after bankruptcy or after winning a lottery. In other words, anomic suicide takes place in a situation which has cropped up suddenly.)

4. Over regulation = Fatalistic (This type of suicide is due to overregulation of the individual e.g. someone in prison committing suicide)

Positivists approach to suicide

SOCIOLOGIST 1 – DURKHEIM:

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They studied suicide statistics for new Zeeland and found them useful as they provide an individuals occupation, class and birth & death rates.

Positivists approach to suicide SOCIOLOGIST 2 – Gibbs & Potterfield

(1960):

+Positivism : Evaluation of Durkheim and Gibbs & Potterfield’s research

PROBLEMS WITH THEIR RESEARCH:

Official statistics may not be valid as it’s the coroners decision whether to deem someone's death as suicide or not – they may be wrong or bias if they are catholic for example where suicide is a sin.

Douglas critics Durkheim's work as he suggests that official statistics are not simply collected but are socially constructed – so did not give enough consideration to how official statistics on suicide are collected; as They contain gross inaccuracies. The central problems (like all official statistics) center around the issue of VALIDITY.

As regards validity, it is likely that there is an UNDER-RECORDING OF THE TRUE RATE OF SUICIDE.

WHY THEIR RESEARCH IS GOOD:

you are being shown official numbers and stats so it has a clear picture (through trends and patterns).