Taking of One’s Own Life, Essay Example

Suicide is the taking of one’s own life.  In the United States it is the 11^th most common cause of death, the third highest cause of death among 15-24 year olds.  Statistics show that there are around 30,000 suicides in the United States every year.  Suicide is the result of social factors that influence members of society.  These social factors can include failure to maintain economic stability, alcohol or substance abuse, bullying, peer pressure, increased family responsibilities, or learning that an individual is terminally ill.

Marital status is one of the most common causes of suicide among individuals of society.  Single individuals are twice as likely to commit suicide. This is a very crucial factor because society has set the standard that an individual must grow up, earn their education, get a job and then marry and start a family.  These are the steps to happiness in our society and to be unable to perform one or more of these steps means that we are a social outcast and looked down upon or ridiculed.  Recently divorced individuals are also likely to commit suicide, especially those that are caused from one or both of the spouses having committed adultery.  In addition to divorce, the recent death of a spouse can sometimes lead to the living spouse committing suicide, although this trend is not as likely among the elderly.

Two other causes of suicide involve sex and the individual’s occupation.  Sexual encounters can cause an individual to commit suicide.  If the individual has recently become a victim of rape or has had a long history of sexual abuse committed against them, they may be likely to develop psychological disorders that impact their image of self-worth and send them into a state of depression.  Sex, however, can also mean the individual’s sexual preference.  Homosexual individuals are typically not accepted within mainstream America because of the religiously intolerant views of the public.  Many homosexuals are publicly abused and ridiculed for their lifestyles and this can cause many individuals to commit suicide at alarming rates.  Finally, a person’s occupation, or lack thereof, can lead to an individual committing suicide.  An individual that is under extreme occupational pressures or financial duress at home may find that matters are far too difficult.  Also, individuals that have recently been laid off or unemployed for quite some time may also look to commit suicide.  Typically, suicidal people are experiencing extreme pain, frustration, or guilt that they cannot overcome.  These individuals usually are afraid to seek help for their problems because they do not want to be ridiculed or judged even further.

Durkheim’s social integration theory states that suicide could not be explained by physiological traits or psychological variables; instead, the social forces that an individual can experience are really what shapes an individual’s life.  Durkheim believed that suicide is related to how close society is integrated.  He argued that societies that are very close nit and have support structures showed less frequency of suicide than with societies that were not closely integrated.  There are two main types of suicide, which include egoistic and altruistic suicides.  When integration is low and there is a lack of meaningful relationships, individuals tend to commit egoistic suicides because they are focusing on themselves and their specific problems.  When integration is high, individuals may commit altruistic suicides in the form of heroic acts, such as stepping in front of a bullet to save someone else’s life.  These acts are not self-serving and are focusing on the greater good of society.