Pyschological and Sociological Theoretical Explanations of Suicide Essay

Pyschological and Sociological Theoretical Explanations of Suicide - Essay Example The hopelessness theory also well defines the psychological aspect of suicide which, according to Beck’s concept of cognitive triad, makes a person think negatively about himself, his future and the world around him (1979). Emile Durkheim gave the sociological theoretical explanation of suicide (Pickering, Walford & British Centre for Durkheimian Studies, 2000). According to him, there are four kinds of suicide that result from discrepancies in a person’s ties with the society (Craighead & Nemeroff, 2002, p.1653). Altruistic suicides are those suicides that have to be committed in order to please the society, like satti in India. Egoistic suicide results from weak or too few ties with the society. Anomic suicide occurs when the ties with the society get a setback all at once, like the death of a friend. Fatalistic suicides result from excessive regulation of a person in society, like slaves and prisoners. Thus, society makes a person act in a certain way which, at times, can lead to suicide. This sociological explanation of Durkheim is still accepted by all