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Sociological Thought
notes
Did You Know? Altruistic suicide is known as humanitarian suicide. In it person willing
gives his life not for his benefit but for the benefit of the group.
On coming of the feeling of duty and sacrifice, person’s discreet personality is abolished. He employs
himself completely in service of the society. For e.g. during a war a soldier sacrifices himself in the
service of the nation. Mother sacrificing herself for saving her son etc are all humanitarian suicides. In
early societies also people used to get ready to die for the benefit of the group. All these are examples
of humanitarian suicides. Such suicides happen because person is completely organised in the group.
He is in the control of the group. These suicides happen due to excessive social integration. In other
words, when there is wilful absolute integration of self-interest of various people.
Durkheim has also described various types of altruistic suicides. In this view he has first described,
compulsory altruistic suicide. This suicide happen because of excessive social pressure on person. In
this relation, Durkheim has presented many examples of early societies. When society is extensively
united, then number of such compulsory altruistic suicides is more. The other type of altruistic suicide
is material altruistic suicide. In this suicide pressure of the society is not essential on the person. The
basis of this suicide is social prestige. There are such situations also in this society when there is no
formal demand for a person’s surrender. But that surrender is seen with an eye of praise. Example of
sati custom in India is mentionable in this regard. The feeling of social respect on being sati motivates
the women to turn herself into ashes with her husband’s holy fire.
Apart from these; one more type of suicide has been mentioned, though Durkheim has not discussed
it in his book.
4. fatalistic suicide: such suicides happen because of the too much excess or existence of models,
where a person is so carried away by rules or models that he may go up to the situation of suicide,
like —suicide done by soldiers or suicides that happen in jails etc.
Task How many types of suicides are there? Describe briefly.
From the above analysis it is clear that Durkheim has considered social causes of suicide as main. In
this manner, in this theory of his also, he completely follows his basic theory. It had been his strong
opinion that explanation of social facts must be done through social facts. Giving the inference of this
study of his, Durkheim ahs written, “The inference of all these factors is that explanation of the rate of
social facts can only be done in sociological manner. At any moment ethical legislation of the society
may determine an opportunity for wilful deaths. That is why to inspire human for self destruction,
for each person, in a definite amount powerful group power is found in a united form.”
16.2 summary
y The credit of making the concept of suicide important in sociology goes to Durkheim. He, have
done an organised analysis of suicide, has propounded that analysis of models of suicides
cannot be done just on psychological basis. Suicide is a social fact; hence its reasons must be
looked in social facts only. Durkheim has mentioned four types of suicides:
1. Altruistic suicide
2. Anomic suicide
104 LoVeLY professionaL uniVersitY
