The Apparent Anomaly of Self-Destructive Behavior (IN: Suicide and Self-Damaging Behavior: a Sociobiological Perspective)

The author asserts that almost all behaviour displayed by oranisms is oriented toward the maintenance or advancement of biological fitness, yet self-destructive behaviour acts directly against this. Humans are virtually the only species which are overtly self-destructive. The author argues that suicide is a result of a reduced biological fitness relative to others in the population, due to stress & other environmental factors. (VM)