Suicide
Suicide
What is Suicide?
Not every self-inflicted death is a suicide. A man, who crashes his car into a tree after falling asleep on the wheel, is not trying to kill himself. Edwin Shneidman (1999, 1993, 1981, 1963), one of the most influential writers on this topic, defines suicide as an intentioned death—a self-inflicted death in which one makes an intentional, direct and conscious effort to end one’s life.
Intentional death may take various forms. Shneidman distinguished four kinds of people who intentionally end their lives: the death seeker, death initiator, death ignorer, and death darer.
Death seekers clearly intend to end their lives at the time they attempt suicide. The singleness of purpose may last only a short time. It can change to confusion the very next hour or day, and then return again in short order.
Death initiators also clearly intend to end their lives, but they act out of a belief that the process of death is already under way and that they are simply hastening the process.. Some expect that they will die in a matter of days or weeks. Many suicides among the elderly and very sick fall into this category.
Death ignorers do not believe that their self-inclined death will mean the end of their existence. They believe they are trading their present lives for a better or happier existence. Many child suicides fall into this category, as do those of adult believers in a hereafter who commit suicide to reach another form of life.
Death darers experience mixed feelings, or ambivalence, in their intent to die even at the moment of their attempt, and they show this ambivalence in the act itself. Although to some degree they wish to die, and they often to die, their risk-taking behavior does not guarantee death. Many death dares are as interested in gaining attention, making someone feel guilty, or expressing anger as they are in dying.
When individuals play indirect, covert, partial or unconscious roles in their own deaths, Shneidman
What is Suicide?
Not every self-inflicted death is a suicide. A man, who crashes his car into a tree after falling asleep on the wheel, is not trying to kill himself. Edwin Shneidman (1999, 1993, 1981, 1963), one of the most influential writers on this topic, defines suicide as an intentioned death—a self-inflicted death in which one makes an intentional, direct and conscious effort to end one’s life.
Intentional death may take various forms. Shneidman distinguished four kinds of people who intentionally end their lives: the death seeker, death initiator, death ignorer, and death darer.
Death seekers clearly intend to end their lives at the time they attempt suicide. The singleness of purpose may last only a short time. It can change to confusion the very next hour or day, and then return again in short order.
Death initiators also clearly intend to end their lives, but they act out of a belief that the process of death is already under way and that they are simply hastening the process.. Some expect that they will die in a matter of days or weeks. Many suicides among the elderly and very sick fall into this category.
Death ignorers do not believe that their self-inclined death will mean the end of their existence. They believe they are trading their present lives for a better or happier existence. Many child suicides fall into this category, as do those of adult believers in a hereafter who commit suicide to reach another form of life.
Death darers experience mixed feelings, or ambivalence, in their intent to die even at the moment of their attempt, and they show this ambivalence in the act itself. Although to some degree they wish to die, and they often to die, their risk-taking behavior does not guarantee death. Many death dares are as interested in gaining attention, making someone feel guilty, or expressing anger as they are in dying.
When individuals play indirect, covert, partial or unconscious roles in their own deaths, Shneidman
References: * Corner, R. J., (2001). Abnormal Psychology. 4thEdition. New York: Worth Publishers, Pp 251-282. * Davison, G. C., Kring, A. M., Neale, J. M., (2004). Abnormal Psychology. 9th Edition. River Street, Hoboken: John Wiley & sons Inc, Pp 304-316. * Khan, M. M., (1998). Suicide and attempted suicide in Pakistan. Crisis 19 (4): 172–6. Doi:10.1027/0227-5910.19.4.172.PMID 10331315 * Khan, M. M., Reza, H., (2000). The pattern of suicide in Pakistan. Crisis 21 (1): 31–5. Doi: 10.1027//0227-5910.21.1.31.PMID 10793469 * Maris, R. W., Berman, A. L., Silverman, M. M., (2006). Comprehensive Textbook of Suicidology. Indian Sub-continent Edition. Noida, India: New Age International Publishers, Pp 3-8, 96-126, 456, 509.