"Suicide"

Paper Summary:

The paper examines Durkheim's seminal work "Suicide" and assesses what this specific piece tells us about the role of social theory. The paper highlights the extent to which Durkheim considered social functions and phenomena as essential in accounting for human behavior. The paper comments that "Suicide" represents the first attempt at offering a detailed empirical basis on which to account for individual actions. The paper also highlights the extent to which social theory forms a pivotal part of Durkheim's analysis.

From the Paper:

"Before Durkheim's study was published, the issue of suicide was viewed firstly as a wholly individual act. Therefore, in terms of analytical study, the subject itself was considered to be the sole intellectual property of psychology. Thus, suicide was an individual act that largely occurred outside of social functions and primarily a result of individual psychological tendencies. As such, social theory or wider social activities and phenomena were not considered relevant in the study and examination of suicide. However, through the use of empirical study Durkheim aimed to prove that instances of suicide could be linked directly to social functioning within society as a whole."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abrahamson, M. (1978). Functionalism, Englewood: Prentice Hall.
• Lukes, S. (1985). Emile Durkheim, His Life and Work: an historical study, Stanford: Stanford University.
• Nisbet, R. (1975). The Sociology of Emile Durkheim, London: Heinemann, 1975.
• Pope, W. (1976). Durkheim's Suicide: a classic analysed, Chicago: Chicago University.
• Taylor, S. (1982). Durkheim and the study of Suicide, London: Macmillan.

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• Term Paper # 5193 : "Emile Durkheim- 'Suicide'"
• Essay # 83704 : "Adolescent Suicide "

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