Discuss the various types of suicide that Durkheim delineates using specific examples. To what extent do you agree

Question:-Discuss the various types of suicide that Durkheim delineates using specific examples. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the notion that different types of suicide prevail in “modern” as opposed to “traditional” societies? Give concrete examples

Answer

There are three basic types of suicide outlined by Durkheim in his work Suicide- egoistic, altruistic and also anomic. Egoistic suicide is very common among the individuals that are not well integrated into social groups and this do not have good cases of receiving the necessary support. Altruistic suicide is produced when the person believes that by dying he or she will contribute positively to one’s group, for example like kamikaze pilots. Anomic suicide occurs when some moral directions are lacking due to the disturbance in normal or social norms. Egoistic suicides were more of a characteristic for the modern society according to Durkheim, where traditional social integration based on religion and family crumble. Anomic suicide, he connected with the modernity’s instability. Nevertheless, suicide due to honour is found even today in some of the traditional cultures proving that altruistic suicides are not only modern ones. Generally, although some patterns remain true, the rigid classification of types of suicide by society simplifies the overly complex motives . All suicides take the shape of both modern and also traditional forces.