Assess the usefulness of different sociological approaches to suicide

Durkheim wrote in the 1890s and was one of the first sociologists right at the forefront of establishing and defining sociology as a scientific discipline. Durkheim argued that it was non only possible to apply scientific principles to favorable phenomena further that it was essential to do so in order to produce useful sociology. His 1897 book felo-de-se a study in sociology uses his scientific methods to explore felo-de-se. Durkheim chooses felo-de-se deliberately, because as the close individual, private and psychologically driven act it was considered by most not to be a fond phenomenon.If sociology could identify social factors and causes of suicide, this would demonstrate the power and impact of community on individual behaviour. So in Durkheims view he entrusts our behaviour is caused by social facts and they are tell to be external from the individual, constrain individuals and be greater than the individuals. After Durkheims abridgment of ordained statistics on suicide it revealed some social groups are more likely to commit suicide than others. For Durkheim, the social patterns of suicide he disc everywhereed is not a random individual act but as stated by Lukes social factors play a key role.Durkheims build showed a correlation between suicide and social facts like suicide rates were higher in predominantly protestant countries than in catholic ones, Jews were the religious group with the lowest suicide rate, married slew were less likely to commit suicide and those with higher education had a higher suicide rate. Durkheim said different forms of suicide related to how much integration and regulation there was in society and this would admit us with a fourfold typology. The term social integration means socialisation into the norms, values and lifestyles of social groups and society.Regulation meaning the control that society and social groups has over an individuals behaviour. With these two factors Durkheim brings upon egoistic su icide not sufficiency integration. The individual isnt successfully integrated into groups or society, anomic not enough regulation society has insufficient control over individuals, altruistic in like manner much integration an over integrated individual sacrifices their life for the group and fatalistic too much regulation the individual is too highly controlled by society. Durkheims work tin also be applied into type of society.As Durkheim states advanced societies and traditional society differ from one and other in their levels of integration and regulation. Durkheim discovers that modern industrial societies arouse lower levels of integration due to lack of freedom this weakens bonds and give rise to egoistic suicide. Whilst, traditional pre-industrial societies expect higher levels of integration as the group is more important than the individual and this gives rise to altruistic suicide. Durkheim has been criticised by other positivist sociologist.Halbwachs largely sup ported Durkheims conclusion but pointed out that the impact of farming(prenominal) versus urban lifestyles on suicide rates hadnt been considered. Also, Gibbs and Martin argued that Durkheim hadnt used vigorous enough scientific methods even though hed stressed how important they were. The key concepts of integration and regulation werent defined closely enough to be measured statistically. Gibbs and Martin query how anyone can pick out how anyone can know what normal levels of integration and regulation are.Interpretivist sociologists have devised alternative theories of suicide they say social reality is not a series of social facts for sociologists to discover, but a series of different meanings and interpretations that apiece person brings to and takes from each situation. Durkheims work is fatally flawed from this perspective because he relies on the unquestioning use of official statistics. According to interpretivists, statistics are not fact they are a social construction based on the definition of the people who compile them.Douglas takes an Interactionist approach to suicide and he is interested in the meaning that suicide has for the deceased, and the way that coroners label death as suicides. He criticises Durkheims study of suicide on two main grounds. One of them being the use of suicide statistics because the decision to classify death as a suicide is taken by a coroner and this may produce bias in verdicts reached. So Douglas feels these are the patterns Durkheim found and that well integrated have friends and relatives who may deny death and this explains their low level of suicide.So Durkheim indicates that suicide verdicts and statistics are based on interactions and negotiations between those involved like friends, doctors and police as they may affect death being labelled as a suicide, rather than it actually being one. Thats why people feel integration plays no dividends. Douglas second point criticises Durkheim for ignoring the meani ngs of the act for those who kill themselves and for assuming that suicide has a fixed or constant meaning.Douglas backs this up as he notes the cultural differences by Japanese samurai warrior who kill themselves because they have been dishonoured by western society. Douglas also states that we need to categorise suicides according to their social meanings because the triggers and response to suicide are different in different cultures. These social meanings consist of revolution of the soul, transformation of the self, achieving sympathy and achieving revenge.Douglas can be criticised, as he is inconsistent, sometimes suggesting that official statistics are merely the reaping of coroners opinions. At other times, he claims we really can discover the cause of suicide-yet how can we, if we can never know whether a death was a suicide and all we have is coroners opinions? Douglas also produces a classification of suicide based on the supposed meanings for the actors. However, ther e is no reason to believe that sociologists are any better than coroners at interpreting dead persons meanings.