Year: 1969 Source: American Anthropologist, v.71, (1969), p.1079-1087 SIEC No: 19830530

“Sociological” explanations of suicide have not been adequate to explain the varying forms and rates of suicide cross-culturally. Viewing the interralationship of child rearing,social structure, and cultural values in light of a theory that stresses the “magical thinking” aspect of suicide offers an alternative explanation for cross-cultural variation.