Durkheim’s Theory of Suicide
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Date
Durkheim’s theory of suicide is one of the social capital theories that show population health trends regarding social integration and cohesion. Society is made up of individuals of different kinds whom their social lives may be influenced in unique ways depending on the prevailing conditions. Suicide is one of the social causes of death. According to Durkheim, the rate at which individuals commit suicide is linked to the prevailing social factors. To expound on the linkage between suicide and social factors, Durkheim came up with four categories of suicide. Each type of suicide affects a given group or population in a given society. In this case, the paper will study suicide trends among the military in the US. The cases of suicides in the recent past have been alarming. Meanwhile, societal and cultural stressors increase the susceptibility of the military to commit suicide. Minimal social integration creates stressors. The paper will use statistical data and other research findings to justify the validity of the statement.
According to Durkheim, the concept of suicide denotes an intentional direct or indirect act that negatively or positively contributes to death. During his study on division of labor and social constraint, he found that all societies report suicide cases. What varies is the number of cases triggered by social, cultural, economic, or political constraints. He went further to explain that suicide is neither a personal nor an individual act. Rather, Durkheim pinpoints the supernatural force above an individual, which pushes one into a context. His allegation goes further than many doctors and psychologists who believe suicide emanates from a pathological state. He recognizes psychological elements in a social context. Durkheim’s thoughts on suicide revolve around social phenomena. In short, it emanates from social disorganization, lack of social solidarity, or minimal or no social integration.
Depending on the victim and social determinants’ relationship, Durkheim came up with four types of suicides in his text, “Le Suicide.” These include egoistic suicide, anomic suicide, altruistic suicide, and fatalistic suicide (Lester & Gunn 2016). Initially, egoistic suicide is due to prolonged detachment in a social context. Social integration is absent or if present in little capacitates. The victim lacks a sense of belonging. An individual is under excessive regulation by social forces, which may trigger them towards taking the matter of life into their own hands. Note that members in the society are integrated through family ties, work roles, and community bonds. If the bonds weaken or break, the victims are highly vulnerable in engaging in unwanted activities, which may harm their health and well-being. For instance, the elderly are the most affected by egoistic suicides after suffering drastic losses of their loved ones or property.
Secondly, altruistic suicide is hinged on high social involvement. Religious and political matters are excellent areas upheld by believers and citizens, respectively. Individuals who fail to meet the standards usually feel detached and may commit suicide. It conforms to our group of studies, the military. It is characterized by excessive social forces such that persons may sacrifice themselves for the benefit of society. For instance, the US has set aside “Memorial Day” to commemorate more than 600000 fallen union service members during President Lincoln’s reign. The fallen individuals bravely died in the line of duty during the Civil War. More so, more soldiers still die today in trying to protect their superiors’ legacy or rather a state. A strong sense of social and cultural integration tips one to do anything to achieve collective goals. Failure to meet collective goals brings about personal and social judgments, which increase the chances of committing suicide. Altruistic suicides can be categorized into obligatory, acute, or optional suicides.
Thirdly, anomic suicide is a result of a sudden an unexpected social equilibrium breakdown. The breakdown can be in terms of social, economic, or political upheaval and something that deteriorates the victim’s current physical and mental health. Such extreme moments include sudden financial loss or status. The state brings a weakened social cohesion that increases susceptibility. In the recent past, rampant cases worldwide have been reported on individuals taking their lives due to gambling and lottery. Teens have been the most susceptible group in these money-driven economies. Gambling in the contemporary world has taken a new step. Being one of the economic activities, the military is not left behind taking part. In case a soldier suffers a great economic loss, one may feel guilty to live in this individualistic world that harshly judges poor people. According to the research carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide rates among individuals aged 25-64 in the USA from the 1990s has significantly increased. It goes in line with economic downturns and the prevailing level of employment.
Lastly, Durkheim highlights fatalistic suicide as another category of socially integrated suicides. Fatalistic self-immolation occurs due to overregulation in society. An individual is put under extreme conditions and high expectations set. Persecution and slavery are perfect examples of this kind of death. Circumstantially, the victim is in a dilemma of either fighting hard or giving up. When there is no clear fate to fight for, individuals are left with no option apart from taking away their lives. The prevailing social rules and regulations are always inevitable to live with them if one decides to remain alive and face karma.
As stipulated earlier, rampant military suicides in the recent past in the US have been recorded. Increased social and cultural stressors have played a significant role in the rise of the cases. Notably, the social, cultural, economic, and political elements change concerning the ever shifting environment. With modernity and advances in technology, social integration is also affected. Before analyzing the statistics of military suicide, let’s first look at the general cases reported on a national scale. As per the CDC findings 2017, the emergency department reported 479 000 cases of self-inflicted injuries. The number of deaths from suicides accounted for 48 344. Approximately 15 people in a population of 100000 died from the condition. Meanwhile, when it comes to suicides, firearm suicides led to about 24 432 cases. The figure accounts for about 8 deaths in 100000 people. Deaths from suffocation added up to 13840, which represent 4 deaths among 100000 individuals. Lastly, poisoning deaths accounted for 6237 cases, which denote 2 deaths in a population of 100000.
According to the Pentagon Report in Washington last year, suicides among the military have been increasing steadily since 2014. In 2014, 18% per 100000 soldiers were recorded. The rate rose to 21.9 and 24.9 per 100000 in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In 2019, 29.8 % per 100000 for the Army troops, 25.3% per 100000 for the Marines, 25.1 per 100000 for Air Force, and 21.5% per 100000 deaths among the Navy were recorded. The outbreak of COVID 19 early this year is one of the leading social stressors likely to increase suicides among the military. For instance, the active-duty Army has witnessed an increase of 30% deaths compared to last year’s statistics.
Young recruits and serving military members are the most vulnerable individuals (Griffith & Bryan, 2016). They make up 43% of the military troop, and they contribute about 61% of total deaths emanating from troops suicides. Note that some young troops may be at the middle or late stages of adolescence, requiring more social integration to boost their self-esteem and total well-being. Also, veterans are the other susceptible group. According to the Office of Suicide Prevention 2016, about 18% of adult deaths in the military belong to veterans. Consider that the group makes about 8.5% of the US military population. The statement suggests that nearly 20 veterans per day are victims of suicidology. Overall, personal owned weapons are the leading cause of death. Most military men and women took their lives in secret places using owned armory, where there are minimal or no social integration and cohesion. Military weapons are avoided since they can invoke a psychological or socially integrated context that could make the victims change their minds.
Minimal social integration breeds suicidal thoughts and feelings among the military (Lester & Gunn 2016). Some of the military profession’s common stressors include relationship problems at personal and family levels, administrative and legal issues, and workplace difficulties (Nock et al., 2013). Initially, military individuals are social beings, just like the rest of us. They love and expect to be loved by their families, friends, relatives, and even the community or state. However, some of them have experienced setbacks in trying to connect with other people in society. Firstly, in some communities, the military profession is not applauded as expected. For instance, in traditional communities, individuals may see the military as inhumane individuals. Indeed, troops are occasionally involved in bloody battles that claim a lot of lives. Without considering how the military action on their behalf, some community members may detach themselves from such persons. Military personnel thereafter may feel lonely.
Family relationships are one of the vital aspects of social integration. Each person, be it military or not, is entitled to given family members. Currently, there are more divorces than ever. The implemented laws of the land allow separations among the married couples. The military is among the most affected groups due to their nature of work. They rarely see their loved ones, and if they find the time, it is barely enough. Divorced couples in the military feel lonely and isolated. At the same time, the married one still feels the same due to the work’s nature. In the absence of effective psychological intervention, the victim of social disintegration may be tipped to commit suicide.
Apart from that, the working culture in each military organization is sometimes unfavorable. Unlike other sectors, the military organization is more task-oriented. Everything revolves around achieving the set goals and objectives. Consequently, working relationships are poor since little attention is paid off. The organization is bureaucratic; information flows only either upward or downwards. Besides, common military men and women are sometimes used as puppets. They can be ordered to do anything without hesitation. Failure to abide by any calling invites dire consequences. The heads are always authoritative. Personal relationships among individuals of the same rank are not that convincing. Most of the conversations revolve around the task at hand or upcoming. The nature of work is an obstacle to social integration. Members with psychological problems are unlikely to be helped due to reduced social cohesion. Reduced social integration opens the door to behavioral health factor risks.
Loneliness and self-isolation are common behavioral health factor risks among the military (Nock et al., 2013). In a seminal study carried out in 2011, veterans who survived suicidal thoughts and attempts pinpointed the feeling of loneliness as their greatest threat. The incidence of survival thoughts and feelings goes hand in hand with a state of loneliness (Smith et al., 2016). Accordingly, military individuals aged 45 and above contributed to many victims, with one person out of three having the feeling. On the other hand, self-isolation depicts a lack of social connections. Durkheim’s’ study on suicides on women can explain this context better. It is not only psychological or emotional factors that increase the susceptibility of committing suicide but also social factors. He used women in his study. Note that, naturally, women are more socially integrated beings than men. The role performed by women in society prevented them from social and cultural stressors. As they integrated with others and other elements in society, their immune became stronger than men’s. Applying the same context in our case, the military lacks time and skills to enhance social cohesion to improve their mental well-being. Besides, Durkheim’s relates to the increase in mental illnesses with civilization. Civilization seems to be eating humans. For instance, it has diversified roles that drift away from the military from a social context. In the end, modernity indirectly leads to loneliness and self-isolation, which boosts the odds of committing suicide. Circumstantially, suicide rates are recorded during peace times than war times.
Durkheim’s theory of suicide is an eye-opener in the alarming cases of military suicide. Apart from the known psychological and emotional factors, his theory brings out social factors that may tip military men and women to commit suicide. Minimal social integration denotes increased social and cultural stressors, which increases the susceptibility of resultant deaths (Lester & Gunn 2016).
In general, Durkheim’s theory of suicide is relevant in explaining the rampant suicide cases among the military in the US. The theory is hinged on social integration. Durkheim categorized the suicides into egoistic, altruistic, anomic, and fatalistic. Altruistic suicides are common among military troops. Meanwhile, the rate of suicidology is inversely proportional to the state of social integration. Less socially integrated individuals are at higher chances of committing suicide and vice versa. Durkheim’s’ ideas and thoughts are critical in helping military victims. Researchers can look at the issue from a psychological and emotional point of view and a social context. Therefore, it is possible to develop effective intervention mechanisms that can curb or minimize the alarming suicide cases among the military.
References
Griffith, J., & Bryan, C. J. (2016). Suicides in the US military: Birth cohort vulnerability and the all-volunteer force. Armed Forces & Society, 42(3), 483-500.
Lester, D., & Gunn III, J. F. (2016). Sociology of suicide. In Stress: Concepts, Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior (pp. 273-276). Academic Press.
Nock, M. K., Deming, C. A., Fullerton, C. S., Gilman, S. E., Goldenberg, M., Kessler, R. C., … & Stanley, B. (2013). Suicide among soldiers: a review of psychosocial risk and protective factors. Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes, 76(2), 97-125.
Smith, N. B., Mota, N., Tsai, J., Monteith, L., Harpaz-Rotem, I., Southwick, S. M., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2016). Nature and determinants of suicidal ideation among US veterans: Results from the national health and resilience in veterans study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 197, 66-73.