Emile Durkheim Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)(1858-1917)

The Study of Suicide (1897)

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

Along with the German Max Weber, one of the most notable sociologists of the early 20th century

French In some ways, fulfilled

Comte’s dream of a scientific sociology

Durkheim cont’d.Durkheim cont’d.

He was the last of the Social Darwinists and the first of the functionalists

Centered many of his beliefs around the notion of “function”

FUNCTIONALISM All elements of society

have positive functions and contribute to the maintenance of the social structure

Society is a relatively stable structure of elements

Durkheim cont’d.Durkheim cont’d.

Durkheim is considered the first social researcher

He wrote The Rules of the Sociological Method (1895), the first research methods textbook

He conducted the first sociological study– his classic study of Suicide (1897)

He developed the term ANOMIE, defined as a condition of normlessness or absence of norms (and thus, stability)

The Study of The Study of SuicideSuicide (1897) (1897)

Durkheim chose to study suicide for several reasons:

1. He wanted to demonstrate the usefulness of sociology in understanding human behavior

2. Little was known about the subject and he was interested in the topic

3. Data was readily available (death records, etc.) making the study fairly easy to conduct

Durkheim’s VariablesDurkheim’s Variables

Based on what was available, Durkheim centered his study on several variables and how they influenced the suicide rate

A. Gender– male/female B. Religion– Catholics/Protestants C. Military Status– military personnel /civilians D. Economy– good/poor E. National Status– wartime/peacetime

A Brief Discussion of VariablesA Brief Discussion of Variables There are generally two types of variables: Independent Variables (the “cause”) and Dependent

Variables (the “effect) independent variables “cause” a change in the rate of

the dependent variable If A affects B, A is the I.V., B is the D.V. In Durkheim’s study, the suicide rate is always the

dependent variable. Ex: The suicide rate for males will be different than if one is female. The I.V. Gender has thus affected the suicide rate (D.V.)

Four Basic Research MethodsFour Basic Research Methods

There are four basic methods of research in sociology:

1. Survey research --questionnaires/interviews **2. Analysis of Existing Sources (document

studies) 3. Observational Studies 4. Experimentation **Durkheim had to choose this method… why?

Findings in Findings in SuicideSuicide

Who had a higher rate of suicide,A. Men or Women?B. Catholics or Protestants?C. Military personnel or Civilians?D. People living in a good or poor

economy?E. People in wartime or peacetime?

ANSWERS: ANSWERS: Men– more violent, more isolated than women

physically and emotionally Protestants– more detached in faith; personal

relationship with God vs. rigid Catholic church hierarchy

Military Personnel– more violent, more sacrificial to the needs of others– to the point of giving one’s life

Poor economic times– money issues cause need to escape problems

Peacetime– social unity occurs in wartime– not detachment– people are more individualistic in peacetime and thus more detached

ConclusionsConclusions Durkheim concluded that there were four distinct

types of suicide: 1. Egoistic– due to emotional detachment (loners,

friendless people, isolated individuals) 2. Anomic– due to normlessness (no apparent

escape, no way to change situations) 3. Altruistic– due to a “higher cause” or purpose

(terrorism, kamikaze pilots, God’s call, etc.) 4. Fatalistic– due to a lack of hope (terminally ill

people, etc.)

Final Thoughts/CritiqueFinal Thoughts/Critique Be able to name examples of each type… CRITIQUE of the study: Types are not “mutually exclusive”– a suicide

may be the result of several types in combination Hard to determine the type associated with an

actual suicide Take an elderly man who has just lost his wife…

and takes his own life. His suicide may occur for any of the above reasons or some combination of them– see if you can figure out the possibilities…

For the first study in sociology, it is a masterpiece!

For more info, see article at: For more info, see article at: http://http://

www.relst.uiuc.edu/durkheim/www.relst.uiuc.edu/durkheim/Summaries/suicide.htmlSummaries/suicide.html