Question

According to the South African Depression & Anxiety Group, depression is a leading cause of suicide in South Africa. Use Durkheim’s study of suicide to explain why depression is the leading cause of suicide in South Africa. Your answer should:

Explain Durkheim’s four types of suicide.

Explain which of Durkheim’s types best explains the leading cause of suicide in South Africa. Explain why the other types of suicide cannot explain the leading cause of suicide in South Africa.

Answer 1

• Durkheim was a philosopher who said that suicide is not a personal action but an act which is social in nature.Suicide occurs when an individual feels lack of social ingtegrity in his life.In other words, social solidarity is essential for abstaining suicidal acts.He explained four types of traits in people that were associated with suicide: (a)Anomic suicide: When suddenly the social integration/social equilibrium has failed,resulting in an overwhelming response of suicide.Such as any surprising event of a huge loss like loss of a loved one. (b) Fatalistic suicide: When a scenario is highly regulated in the society that leads to suicidal acts, such as sati death in India.(c) Egoistic suicide: When a person is attention seeker and becomes self centred that he doesnot feel related to the society.This is based on least social integration. (d) Altruistic Suicide: This is based on over integration with the society that a person is not able to cater his own needs.
• Durkheim's viewpoint was that industrialization in the sectors, urbanisation of cities has caused major negative impact on the South African people.This has given sense of alienation to the people that has very low regulation and thus have experienced Anomic suicide acts.Also, there are significant risks of socio economic instability and racial discrimination , that too point toward the anomic strata.

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