DURKHEIM'S SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUICIDE AND RELIGION

Abstract

In his book Suicide in 1897, Durkheim proposed a model in which Protestants were better educated and also had a higher suicide rate than Catholics, who had a lower rate of education. Outside this model, Jews were highly educated but had the lowest suicide rates. He noted that explanations of the condition of religious minorities or the doctrinaire nature of the suicide ban are not enough, but rely on the taste for free examination. He noted that the taste for free examination is stronger among Protestants than Catholics. He argues that free examination and the strong awakening of the taste for instruction have occurred simultaneously; both facts have the same cause as the shaking of traditional beliefs. He explained that Protestant education instilled in them a strong sense of individualism (religious individualism), while education encouraged Jews to assimilate more closely to their religious community. Catholic countries have a more integrated socio-religious structure than Protestant ones, as Protestantism has fewer common beliefs and practices. As a result, the Protestant Church does not have the same protections for its members against suicide as the Catholic Church. Therefore, Durkheim concludes that suicide varies inversely with the degree of integration of the religious society. As for Judaism, Durkheim considers it’s an exception, but the exemplary case in support of his suicide theory.