Suicide and the Internalization of Culture: Three Questions

Abstract

Despite much writing and discussion on suicide that gives credence to the importance of a multidimensional perspective, the current view of suicide continues to be strongly person-centered. Examining suicide from a cultural vantage point, three questions are suggested for investigation concerning (1) the internalization of the idea of suicide, (2) individual and collective vulnerability to this idea, and (3) the 'great origin myth' in suicidology. Although the act of killing oneself is ultimately that of an individual, it is argued here that it is less a solo venture than a product of the collectivity of ideas. A deeper understanding of suicide will be realized through theory incorporating the dialectic of person and culture.