A2 Sociology- Crime (Topic 2)
Mental Illness and Suicide: the sociology of deviance
Suicide has been an important topic in the development of sociology.
Durkheim (1897) studied it, and he claimed to have discovered the causes of suicide through the use
of official statistics.
However, interactionists reject Durkheim’s positivist approach and his reliance on official statistics.
They argue we must study the meanings of suicide for those who choose to kill themselves in order
to understand suicide.
Douglas: the meaning of suicide.
Douglas (1967) takes an interactionist approach to suicide. He is critical of the use of official suicide
statistics for the same reason as interactionists distrust official crime statistics. He argues it tells us
more about the view of those who construct the statistics than those the statistics are based on.
For example, whether a death comes to be officially labelled as suicide rather than an accident or
homicide depends on the interactions and negotiations between social actors. For instance, relatives
may feel guilty about failing to prevent the death and press for a verdict of misadventure rather than
suicide.
Douglas argues we must use qualitative methods instead, such as the analysis of suicide notes, or
unstructured interviews with the deceased’s friends and relatives.
Atkinson: coroners’ common-sense knowledge.
Atkinson (1978) agrees that official statistics are merely a record of the labels coroners attach to
deaths. Atkinson focuses on the taken-for-granted assumptions that coroners make when reaching
their verdicts.
Atkinson’s approach can be used against him however. If he is correct that all we can do is have
interpretations of the social world rather than real facts about it, then his account is no more than
an interpretation, and as such there is no good reason to accept it.
Mental Illness
Interactionists reject official statistics on mental illness because they regard these as social
constructs. To interactionists, crime suicide and mental illness statistics are artefacts, not objective
social facts.
Mental Illness and Suicide: the sociology of deviance
Suicide has been an important topic in the development of sociology.
Durkheim (1897) studied it, and he claimed to have discovered the causes of suicide through the use
of official statistics.
However, interactionists reject Durkheim’s positivist approach and his reliance on official statistics.
They argue we must study the meanings of suicide for those who choose to kill themselves in order
to understand suicide.
Douglas: the meaning of suicide.
Douglas (1967) takes an interactionist approach to suicide. He is critical of the use of official suicide
statistics for the same reason as interactionists distrust official crime statistics. He argues it tells us
more about the view of those who construct the statistics than those the statistics are based on.
For example, whether a death comes to be officially labelled as suicide rather than an accident or
homicide depends on the interactions and negotiations between social actors. For instance, relatives
may feel guilty about failing to prevent the death and press for a verdict of misadventure rather than
suicide.
Douglas argues we must use qualitative methods instead, such as the analysis of suicide notes, or
unstructured interviews with the deceased’s friends and relatives.
Atkinson: coroners’ common-sense knowledge.
Atkinson (1978) agrees that official statistics are merely a record of the labels coroners attach to
deaths. Atkinson focuses on the taken-for-granted assumptions that coroners make when reaching
their verdicts.
Atkinson’s approach can be used against him however. If he is correct that all we can do is have
interpretations of the social world rather than real facts about it, then his account is no more than
an interpretation, and as such there is no good reason to accept it.
Mental Illness
Interactionists reject official statistics on mental illness because they regard these as social
constructs. To interactionists, crime suicide and mental illness statistics are artefacts, not objective
social facts.
