Resource Tag: SOCIOBIOLOGY

The authors argue that higher rates of selective survival in disadvantaged, high mortality populations result in a greater proportion of healthy, very old people who may require less nursing-home care, have lower suicide rates, & enjoy higher status in the family & community. 62 REF

This study explores suicide & attempted suicide among relatives of mental patients (N=1454). There were 6 suicides & 29 attempted suicides among the sample group, primarily by those with manic-depressive psychosis. Suicide or attempted suicide was found in 182 families of the sample. There were more suicidal acts among male relatives, largely in those 30-39 […]

Some of the principles underlying the science of ethology are described. Analogies are drawn between ethological & psychiatric observations in the psychiatric areas of reactions to separation, bereavement, depression, anxiety, sexual disorders & hysteria. It is suggested that in other areas also, notably obsessional states & schizophrenia, ethological concepts may be relevant. The implications & […]

The author claims that specific events in the early social environment contribute to a vulnerability for suicidal behavior, and further, that similar events in later life trigger these early memories & produce self-destructive behavior. Adam also states that suicide attempters & those who complete suicide are different but overlapping groups, the same individuals but at […]

The differences in frequency of suicide attempts between DST non-suppressors & suppressors in depressives & controls is investigated in separate patient populations in 2 large Hungarian psychiatric institutes. Subjects underwent CSF & neuroendocrine tests. Relationships between CSF cortisol & DST results are examined. 31 ref. (NBB)

Dr. Scneidman defines suicide from a bio-socio-psychologico-existential standpoint. Perturbation (how upset the individual is) & lethality are considered keystones to understanding suicidal behavior. It is suggested that the way to decrease lethality is by dramatically decreasing the felt pertubation. A distinction is made among 4 psychologically different kinds of encounters; conversation, hierarchical exchange, psychotherapy of […]

The author states self-preservation is a pervasive motive for both humans & other species. Suicidal behavior is apparently the antithesis of self-preservation. Self-preservation may be a function of the individual’s ability to reproduce, nurture offspring, & otherwise behave toward the welfare of potentially reproducing kin. In an evolutionary context, self-preservation should be subservient to reproduction […]

This article proposes a theory of suicidal behavior which posits social acceptability & social expectations as the primary bases for explaining differences between males & females in the degree to which each sex attempts or commits suicide. It is concluded that research is needed to study relationships between cultural expectaions & suicidal behavior.

The results of a prospective study which attempted to determine predictors for response to antidepressant therapy are reported. Half of a sample of 60 patients were treated with clomipramine, half with maprotiline. Sociobiographic parameters were found to have no predictive value. Factors having predictive value were: a relative who had attempted suicide, a relative with […]

The concept of care-eliciting behavior is proposed as an essential part of the phenomenon of attachment. The origins of this behavior in man are examined in terms of both ontogenesis & phylogenesis. The revelance of the behavior for species advantage is considered. Finally, it is suggested that morbid manifestations of care-eliciting constitute a number of […]

Suicide & obsolescence are presented as comparable epigenetic processes. Living systems are in a constant state of adaptation to their environment. The suicidal individual may receive the message that he is somehow no longer useful in his social system. Others are growing, changing, & coping to the benefit of the larger society, but he is […]

The authors of this comprehensive study of adolescent suicide state that rates of suicide for 15 to 24-year-olds have risen more sharply in the U.S. & Canada than in most countries. The young, non-white male is at highest risk. Racial background, marital status, gender, indices of social disorganization, method of suicide & family history of […]

This study is an investigation into the philosophical assumptions & theories of Western civilization that uphold man’s right to commit suicide. The method of investigation is based on critical analysis of pro-suicide essays from antiquity to the present. Suicide is discussed in the contexts of religion, law, natural science, political & social ethics & linquistics. […]

This study examines the phenomenon of wrist cutting, attempting to identify those at risk for this behavior & to understand motivational factors. The author tested & interviewed 3 inpatients of a MHC who had cut their wrists & compares findings with that of earlier sociobiologicl studies. It is suggested that there are 5 types of […]

Examines suicide as a biological & psychological phenomenon. Culture is regarded as a correlative but not a causal factor. Aggressive & depressive responses are discussed in detail, both in their biological etiology & in the learning process which precedes recourse to suicide.

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Examination of the data on suicide and self destructive behaviors from all relevant disciplines and a review of their status in an evolutionary framework. (KB)