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Page 1 of 2 Some people feel there's no point to living. They suffer w/ self-criticism, self-hate, and finally commit suicide. Factors leading to depression and suicide.
Almost all sociologists will agree destruction of a dyad, or two-person group, is often a cause for suicide. Dyads are characteristically fragile, though strongly emotional and personal in nature. Edwin Schneidman, in an essay concerning suicide, described the intense frustration felt when people invest so much of themselves in others, who are also human and thusly flawed, only to be disappointed by destruction of the dyad (15). Many times a person is so devastated there seems to be no point in living. Aggression is thought to be internalized when people commit suicide, even if it is a result of external forces, such as failed interrelations with others or lack of them all together. Sociologists blame the low number of close, meaningful relationships on the growing depersonalization of society. Krauss states “cultures which provide [close, meaningful, and relatively conflict-free interactions among their members] have …low rates of suicide” (18). Therefore, from the sociological viewpoint, most relationships fail because society poses threats which destroy these relationships.
Benjamin Wolman, a sociologist who theorized on the “anticulture” of suicide, blamed estrangement and contemporary societal mechanization and alienation for growing suicide rates (90). Wolman sums up the sociological standpoint in his statement:
The estrangement inherent in our way of life; the decline of family ties; the depersonalization in human relations; and the loss of the individual in a mass society are probably the main, or at least the important, reasons why so many people now tend to hurt one another and to hurt themselves. (93)
The ability of people to internalize such aggression and turn it into self-criticism and self-hate is one of the most prominent ties between sociology and psychology. While most psychologists do not hold that society is so exceedingly influential in human development and personal motives, the connection is obviously there. The internalization of society, as it relates to the developing, unique individual, is also an interesting view of reality which Douglas states exceptionally well. He explains society exists within the minds of the individuals who exist within society, and when individuals interact the idea of society becomes an ever-changing “whole” product of this interaction:
It exists only in the minds of individuals, but, being more than the mind of any individual or even the minds of all individuals taken together, it exists almost entirely outside the individual and acts upon him as an external force would – even though this force can only exist internally. (49)
This helps relate sociology and psychology, and also gives insight into the cause of suicide which is often termed “tunnel vision”.Because people internalize all thoughts, emotions, interpretations of society, etc., and because these forces, external and internal, strongly act upon them, they feel there is no way to escape in a conscious, or even semi-conscious, state. The problem is perpetual.
David Malan, a psychologist, suggests that suicide is the cause of accumulated trauma (181). Though it sounds extremely simplistic, most psychologists, to a certain degree, concur with this theory. As Dublin explains, many psychiatrists feel suicide is a result of mental and emotional disturbances that are already present and which external circumstances worsen (13). He details how psychological frameworks are thought to exist and develop as people age, determining how they will react to life’s ups and downs (Dublin 13). Rather than outside forces, personality, character, temperament (which is often thought to be inherited, and thus biochemical), and emotional stability are all psychological factors. This shows suicide as being a personal reaction, with external forces merely contributing to the final outcome. Some views stress personality far more than others, however, and the psychological school that seems to have developed the dominant position on suicide is the psychodynamic approach.
The theory of the psychodynamic school holds that only a portion of the mind is conscious and the rest lies hidden deep within the subconscious, ruled by conflicting forces of a super-strong libido (id) and super-controlling morality (superego) all translated through the ego, which attempts to balance the two through rationality. Dublin explains that all the motivating power individuals have originates beyond their awareness within the subconscious (154). The ideology is that humans have an inborn instinct to live, but can get extremely emotional when the right external factor touches on a sensitive, perhaps dormant, internal factor and the push for self-annihilation and an end to pain is born. Whether a person commits suicide or not is entirely dependent upon the strength of the ego. Sometimes the ego-superego conflict alone can be detrimental, causing unbearable inner turmoil and despair.
Edwin Shneidman, in an essay evaluating the psychodynamic view, explains most suicides are marked by ambivalence toward life and death, as well as feelings of hopelessness and helplessness (9). He explains a type of suicide, termed “egotic suicide,” results from a conflict of internal aspects of self to which the only response is the ending of the personality (Shneidman 13). Such internal aspects are not always as solitarily self-related as egotic conflict, however.
Krauss, in a discussion on psychosocial causes of suicide, explained Freud’s view that suicide is often the result of an unachieved goal or dysfunctional relationship, which is similar to the sociological standpoint (32). Krauss explains, however, in killing oneself one is really killing the internal representation of the unattainable object (32). The primary dispute between sociology and psychology, then, is whether the external or the internal has more power. Considering the superego is supposedly the internalization of external morals and parental values, all is relative. Internal and external factors are all relevant and the subjectivity is based, again, in terms of “reality”.
The question of reality and factors leading to depression and suicide is also frequently addressed by medical science. Sociology and psychology do not discount the effects of biology, heredity, and genetics when determining theories, so neither should any view of suicide causation. Genetics is believed to cause many cases of depression, as it often runs in a family, but inability to pinpoint the area in genetic code relating to depression discounts that theory for the time being. Evidence has been found which relates chemical changes in the brain to depression, however.
Charles Nemeroff, a writer for Scientific America, states both decreased activity of a neurotransmitter, as well as overactivity of a hormonal system, can lead to severe depression and, concurrently, suicide (“Neurobiology”). Neurotransmitters travel between neurons, or nerve cells, in order to perform functions vital to life. Nemeroff states norepinephrine and serotonin, both monoamine type neurotransmitters, are natural anti-depressants (“Neurobiology”). In order to understand the way these monoamines affect human biological make-up, it is necessary to have a brief understanding of the way neurotransmitters work.
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