Durkheim

Question 1

What was Durkheim’s study

Answer 1

Le suicide (1897

Question 2

What approach did he use

Answer 2

Positivist sciientific approach

Question 3

What 3 trends did he notice

Answer 3

• That suicide rates remain constant and predictable over time
• That they remain constant between societies
• They remain constant between social groups within the same society
• Emile Durkheim did a study about suicide rates - he compared the suicide rates between Catholics and Protestants, and found that there was less suicides amongst Catholics, and also that less women committed suicide than men.

Question 4

What did he conclude

Answer 4

Suicide was not the result of individuals using their free will but the suicide rate is a social fact and suicidal behaviour was shaped by the nature of the society to which the individual belonged and specifically by its level of social integration and moral regulation

Question 5

What are the 4 types of suicide Durkheim discovered

Answer 5

1. Egoistic suicide - when someone becomes socially isolated and feels they have no place in society due to weak integration
2. Altruistic suicide - when the only way to gain on e’s life back is to commit suicide due to too much integration
3. Fatalistic suicide - when people commit suicide to escape control in their lives due to too much regulation
4. Anomic suicide - Suicide from dramatic social or economical change due to too little regulation