1. The Sociological Perspective

Question 1

The Sociological Explanation of Suicide:

What is social solidarity?

Answer 1

the more a group’s members share beliefs and values, and the more often they interact, the greater their social solidarity

Question 2

The Sociological Explanation of Suicide:

Who did the research on this topic? How and why did he do so?

Answer 2

Emile Durkheim; analyzed European government statistics, hospital records, and other sources in order to test the idea that psychological disorders cause suicide

Question 3

The Sociological Explanation of Suicide:

What did the research on this topic reveal (subjective)?

Answer 3

Found that often the rate between people with mental health issues and suicide didn’t vary directly and often inversely; Concluded that the lowest the rate of “social solidarity” the highest the rate of suicide in a determined community

Question 4

The Sociological Explanation of Suicide:

What did the research on this topic reveal (examples)?

Answer 4

1. Men die more often by suicide than women (one female suicide for every four male even though insane asylums host slightly more women than men), possibly because women are more involved with the intimate social relations of family life matters
2. Jews have high rates of mental health issues but low rates of suicide due to years of oppression that led them to being a high connected community
3. Elderly are more likely to take their own lives when faced with hardship than younger people because they’re most likely to live alone, to have lost a spouse, and to not work or have a wide network of friends
4. Married adults are half as likely to die by suicide - marriage creates social ties and a sort of moral cement that connect individuals to society
5. Showed that social forces strongly influence suicide rates
6. Noticed that rates of psychological disorders are higher after adulthood, but suicide rates increase steadily with age

Question 5

Suicide in Canada Today:

What social group has the highest suicide rate and why?

Answer 5

First nations’ persons have a higher rate of suicide because their social structures have been shattered; high levels of unemployment, substance abuse, and cultural disorientation

Question 6

Suicide in Canada Today:

What social group’s suicide rate has increased since the time of Durkheim’s research? Why?

Answer 6

The rate of younger people dying by suicide has grown in the past decades because they’re less connected to society (less people attend religious services weekly, increased divorce rate and out-of-marriage kids - less frequent and intimate social interaction with parents and less adult supervision, LGBTQ+ are “coming out” more and being bullied for it)

Question 7

From Personal Troubles to Social Structures:

What are social structures?

Answer 7

Social structures are relatively stable patterns of social relations in society

Question 8

From Personal Troubles to Social Structures:

What are the levels of social structures?

Answer 8

1. Microstructures - patterns of relatively intimate social relations formed during face-to-face interactions; families, friendship circles, work associations
2. Macrostructures - overarching patterns of social relations that lie outside and above a person’s circle of intimates and acquaintance; classes, bureaucracies, power systems (ex: patriarchy)
3. Global structures - patterns of social relations outside and above the national level; international organizations, patterns of worldwide travel and communication, economic relations between countries

Question 9

From Personal Troubles to Social Structures:

How do social structures affect your life?

Answer 9

“patterns of social behaviors influence your thoughts and feelings, affect your behavior, and therefore help shape who you are”

Question 10

The Sociological Imagination:

What is the sociological imagination?

Answer 10

The sociological imagination is the capacity to identify connections between social structures and personal troubles

Question 11

The Sociological Imagination:

What are the 3 origins of the sociological imagination?

Answer 11

1. The scientific revolution -
   Began around 1550
   Evidence over speculation to draw conclusion about how society works; evidence to test theory
   Science is a method of inquiry, not just a collection of ideas
2. The democratic revolution -
   Began around 1750
   Emphasized that people are responsible for organizing society - social problems can be solved through human intervention
3. The industrial revolution -
   Began around 1780
   Created a wide range of new problems for social thinker to focus on