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Durkheim's Theory Of Suicide As A Sociological Perspective

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Social phenomena include all behavior, which influences or are influenced by organisms sufficiently alive to respond to one another (Wikipedia). The activities characterizing a society determine the beliefs, desires and motives of its individual members. Even a socially accepted behavior trend defines the behavior patterns of the individuals that function in that particular society. Durkheim views suicide as sociological phenomena and not solely as an individual’s reality, establishing its validity as a social fact. The main factor that propels Durkheim’s study of society is the belief that every sociological phenomenon is unique and warrants a different kind of study that emphasizes depth over myopic interpretations. The validity of the concept, which limits the interactions between social phenomena and human beings, is questioned. Since, Durkheim views suicide as sociological phenomena, it manifests itself as a social fact. Therefore, it falls under the realm of sociological study. Durkheim presents a conclusive critique of reductionist explanations of social behavior. According to Durkheim, suicide has, peculiar social characteristics and roots, which are not susceptible to explanations on the biological or psychological level. Therefore, he rejects the concept of accepting psychological explanations for social occurrences as these make the interpretations one-dimensional and vulnerable. In addition to this, psychological explanations for suicide fail to address it as a

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