Sept 10 SOC 100.pdf

Sept 10Monday September 8 2014640 PMDurkeimSuicideEntirely individualistic phenomenon MethodDurkheim carefully examined the available census data on rates of suicide among various social groups examining the data on social background of suicide victims ex demographic info including age religion class job work history income wealth gender etcHe presumed that if suicide is purely an act of individual desperation one would not expect to find an changes in the rates from year to year or society to societyFindings on suicide ratesLowerHigherMarriedUnmarriedChildrenNo ChildrenCatholic JewsProtestant suicide rates lowest amongst Jewspersecuted throughout historycreates cohesion in Economic recessiongroupgroup must stick together Economic prosperity Durkheim thought there were two major functions of societyIntegrationis the degree to which knowledge beliefs values are shared by members of societyNormative regulationis the degree of external constraint on peoplerules people followDurkheims4 types of suicideEgoisticAltruistic strong tiesFatalisticAnomic no rulesEGOISTIC SUICIDEwhen ties to one community are too weakIndividuals with little attachment to wider society and community have higher suicide ratesan ex Durkheim discovered was that of unmarried people particularly males who with less to bind and connect them to stable social norms and goals committed suicide at higher rates than unmarried peoplethey dont have anyone to live for and they dont have anyone to turn tolack of social tiesALTRUISTIC SUICIDEwhen ties to community are too strong suicide for the sake of othersself sacrifice was the defining trait where individuals were so integrated into social groups that they lost sight of their individuality and became will to sacrifice themselvessuicide for the good of the groupANOMIC SUICIDEtoo little regulation no rules or normscan come as a result of rapid social changepeople feel cut adrift dont understand how they fit in to society any morerapid economic prosperityrecession cultural and identification relationie being released from prisonFATALISTIC SUICIDETOO MUCH regulation too many rulesno freedom no autonomy no hopeDurkheim barely mentions this type and doesnt really spend much time explaining it