Durkheim's Suicide has played a significant role along with the evolution of sociology not only because it is the first applicable sociological theories, but it provides empirical methods in suicide (Tang, 2005). However, there still exist some limitations compared with recent research, such as unverifiable deduction, uncomprehensive theory, distorted statistics (Andrissen, 2007; Durkheim, 1952, pp.145-277; Taylor, 1982, pp.4-21). Indeed, Durkheim’s theory cannot be tested in practice and data sources are only confined to the same stage as Durkheim (Andrissen, 2007). Based on these shortages, Durkheim’s methods seem to have detrimental impacts on present suicide studies.
Although Durkheim’s methods on suicide give us an exploration …show more content…
Secondly, it will show that confusing perspectives on suicide are not efficient in a special cultural community, which ignores individual and social-cultural factors (Lenzi, Colucci, and Minas, 2012). Simultaneously, its fallacious explanation on social integration and regulation (especially military and female suicide) and different religions influences might also result in distinct suicides (Kushner and Sterk, 2005; Wray, Colen, and Pescosolido, 2011). Thirdly, it will be shown that data sources are not valid to today’s world, which suggests Durkheim’s methodology cannot be tested in practice (Morrison, 1990). Therefore, minimizing the limits of Durkheim’s methods may be of benefits for studying suicide further in present …show more content…
In so far as Durkheim’s descriptions (Taylor, 1982, p.15), he solely divided suicide into four types: egoistic, altruistic, anomic and fatalistic suicide based on social integration and social regulation but neglected contradiction among them (Brym and Hamlin, 2006; Johnson, 1965) (Figure1). This single classification was absolutely on the basis of Durkheim’s theory, as Brym and Hamlin implied (2006), it cannot contain all kinds of suicide. Indeed, mixed types of suicide are existing in the real world and such case should be in view in practice (Durkheim,1980 citied in Brym and Hamlin, 2006). An example of euthanasia will be showed as