Suicide

Question 1

What does Durkhiem argue suicide is a product of? (Suicide crime)

Answer 1

External forces

Question 2

Who did Durkheim compared for his case study? (Suicide crime)

Answer 2

Countries across Europe

Question 3

What did Durkheim set out too bad with his case study? (Suicide crime)

Answer 3

A cause and effect formula

Question 4

What methods did Durkheim use in his case study? (Suicide crime)

Answer 4

Comparative method and official statistics

Question 5

How is suicide defined? (Suicide crime)

Answer 5

Intentional loss of life

Question 6

How did Taylor categorise suicide? (Suicide crime)

Answer 6

Suicide gesture, clear-cut suicide and para-suicide

Question 7

Why did Durkheim use suicide as a case study? (Suicide crime)

Answer 7

To help establish sociology as a science, explaining phenomenons no other discipline could

Question 8

What did Durkheim find? (Suicide crime)

Answer 8

Suicide rate vary between countries (remain constant within) and also vary between groups

Question 9

From his findings, why was Durkheim sure that external forces were in play? (Suicide crime)

Answer 9

Findings were stable, if external forces weren’t there then findings would be more scattered

Question 10

How did Durkheim conclude the reasons for suicide were? (Suicide crime)

Answer 10

Lack/over integration or regulation

Question 11

What term is given to lack of integration and give an example? (Suicide crime)

Answer 11

Egoistic e.g suicide of a divorced individual

Question 12

What term is given to over integration and give an example? (Suicide crime)

Answer 12

Altruistic e.g terrorist suicide bombers

Question 13

What term is given to lack of regulation and give an example? (Suicide crime)

Answer 13

Anomic e.g lottery winners (rapid change)

Question 14

What term is given to over integration and give an example? (Suicide crime)

Answer 14

Fatalistic e.g prisoners or slaves

Question 15

What does Halbwachs (1930) claim? (Suicide crime)

Answer 15

Durkheim overemphasises the influence religion has on suicide - living in a rural/urban area has more of an influence

Question 16

What do interpretivists focus on when investigating suicide? (Suicide crime)

Answer 16

Meanings and motivations

Question 17

What do interpretivists suggest about sociology being established as a science? (Suicide crime)

Answer 17

It isn’t and it should never try to be

Question 18

What do they believe about the statistics of suicide rates? (Suicide crime)

Answer 18

Social constructions

Question 19

What does Bachelor argue is the motivation for suicide? (Suicide crime)

Answer 19

1) escapist suicide
2) aggressive suicide
3) oblative suicide
4) ludic suicide

Question 20

What is confusing about Bachelors findings? (Suicide crime)

Answer 20

By attempting to uncover the meanings and motivations (interpretivists) she actually categories them, taking a positivist approach

Question 21

What did Douglas (1967) state? (Suicide crime)

Answer 21

Each act of suicide is unique but can only be understood by the interpretations of others (invalid and unreliable)

Question 22

How does religion influence coroners? (Suicide crime)

Answer 22

Catholics see suicide as a sin, the coroner is more likely to label it as accidental death to avoid trouble for the family

Question 23

What did Atkins find? (Suicide crime)

Answer 23

Coroners interpret evidence in an inconsistent way

Question 24

What 4 pieces of evidence does Atkins mention? (Suicide crime)

Answer 24

• suicide notes
• mode of death
• location of death
• medical records

Question 25

What is the quote by Sachs? (Suicide crime)

Answer 25

“In terms of history of sociology, nothing is more tragic than that of Durkheim’s suicide being conceived as a model of investigation”

Question 26

How does Taylor combine interpretivist and positivist methodology? (Suicide crime)

Answer 26

Coroners build up a victim biography rather than collecting actual data, but it’s naïve to suggest external forces do not contribute

Question 27

What does Durkhiem argue about suicide statistics? (Suicide crime)

Answer 27

Social fact