Emile Durkheim's Suicide: Social Integration And Social Ideas Of Suicide

In his book, Suicide, Emile Durkheim explores the social reasons that would someone to commit suicide. The basis of his argument laid in his ideas of social integration and social regulation. Social regulation is the many facets in which a person can be involved with society, such as political groups, religious groups, and domestic groups. Social regulation in comparison are the social and moral rules that a society decides what is right and what is wrong. Durkheim believes that people need to find a balance within social integration and social regulation to live a healthy lifestyle. Being on either ends of the spectrum for integration or regulation can lead someone to commit suicide. What Durkheim did not do in Suicide was compare rates of suicide between racial groups. African-Americans have a consistently lower suicide rate compared to Caucasians in the United States. However, African-American males from the ages of 20 to 29 have suicide rates much closer to those of their Caucasian counterparts. Using Durkheim’s arguments in Suicide as reference, it can be argued that African-Americans as a racial group have lower suicide rates than their Caucasian counterparts because African-Americans have more sources of social integration and regulation than Caucasians. Also, African-American males between the ages of 20 and 29 have suicide rates that more closely resemble their Caucasian counterparts that specific age group

African-Americans tend to be much more religious and attend church more often than their white counterparts. Given the challenges that African-Americans, it makes sense that they would seek religious outlets during their troubles. Combined with experiencing their challenges, religion African-Americans a sense of community with one another and thus social integration. Caucasians tend to be less religious, and result have one less avenue for social integration than