Durkheim Suicide: Functionalist and Conflict Theory

In this activity, students are presented with Durkheim’s perspective on suicide as a social fact as well as his four types of suicide. Students compare psychological perspectives on suicide, the types of suicide in Durkheim’s functionalist perspective, and suicide from functionalist and conflict theory perspectives.  

Students are given two readings presenting four kinds of suicide (indigenous on and off reserve and soldiers during times of war and peace). 

In class, students are asked to generate ideas about groups with higher rates of suicide in contemporary society and which of each ‘type’ Durkheim would argue they represent.  

In groups, students then classify the case studies from their readings into the categories identified by Durkheim, discussing the ways in which these categories are relevant or in some cases insufficient or murky. The relevance of Durkheim’s outlook from the functionalist perspective is discussed in the implied solutions he gives. Students are asked to reflect on the implications of these solutions and examples of ways this theory was enacted through institutions (e.g residential schools as a possible solution for social integration). 

Finally, students are asked to do the same activity from the perspective of a conflict theorist and then to compare and contrast the two conclusions and solutions. 

Students will be able to:

• Offer different solutions to suicide from the from the perspectives of sociology
• Explain how solutions differ between disciplines (ex. psychology).
• Explain Durkheim’s contribution to sociology, including functionalism, social facts, and his theory of suicide
• Apply Durkheim’s theory of suicide to contemporary society
• Articulate the implications of Durkheim’s theory for interpreting and addressing suicide as a social problem
• Explain the difference between functionalist and conflict theory in their interpretation of and perspectives about social problems.