Theories of suicide and Religion.

In order to progress within my project I have decided to research the theme of suicide in greater depth, to gain a stronger understanding of the 'suicidal' mind set so that I can portray this in my images and text. It will also give me a stronger foundation to begin to write my narratives, as I do not want to portray my project as being insensitive and ignorant. 

The desire to die is a taboo subject that I believe almost everyone thinks of at some stage, if it is not fantasying about how you are going to die, perhaps not to the extent of suicide but some certainly plan their own death, whether it is considering what flowers you're going to have at your funeral or what you want your sibling to say about you when they speak of you.  A common factor when imagining death is the reaction of others of which may be a possible explanation as to why many commit the act , or is perhaps to make a statement to break the silence like Joiners theory a form of escapism from perhaps an abusive, oppressive life. Is it a statement to not to conform to society? 

However there's a difference between imagining your death versus feeling entrapped in a suicidal mind by researching and gaining an understanding to these theories will help me to develop a stronger understanding of the mind set by looking at both psychological explanations and religious beliefs of the subject. 

The Interpersonal Theory of suicide.

The Interpersonal theory of suicide outlines a theory as to why some individuals commit suicide. Research was conducted by academic physiologist Thomas Joiner to see if there was a pattern associated with suicide and suicidal thoughts.

 Joiners theory consists of three possible explanations. The first phase is linked to the theory of not belonging which is combined with the feeling of being a burden to others. The belief that your life would be better if one was to end it. Joiner believes that the act of suicide is not an impulsive act, it is one that has been planned over a duration of time, early stages of suicidal behaviour can be communicated through self harm- the longer the individual is in mental pain the more the a person becomes numb to physical pain resulting in a high pain tolerance meaning that person becomes almost fearless of death and will go to extreme lengths to make sure the death is executed successfully.

To have all three of these traits is seen as highly critical, those who seem to possess all three traits are usually the ones that will successfully end their lives according to Joiners framework.  From this theory I can begin to create images that can show signs of self harm to communicate the critical state of the character, and her desire to die.

(Thomas E. Joiner,The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide,American Psychological Association, 2009)

Suicide is a form of murder - premeditated murder. It isn't something you do the first time you think of doing it. It takes getting used to. And you need the means, the opportunity, the motive. A successful suicide demands good organisation and a cool head, both of which are usually incompatible with the suicidal state of mind.” 
― Susanna Kaysen, 

 Kaysens view supports the interpersonal theory of suicide, suicide most defiantly is not impulsive people do it as a form of escapism they cannot take the emotional pain within a suicidal mind to end ones life appears to be the only way to end the suffering.

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/419890365238706627/.
Viewed:10.02.16

Anomie.

Anomie is a condition where an individual feels disconnected from society, similarly to Joiners theory the person feels rejected by society as if they do not belong, they also reject self values. The term was created by sociologist Emile Durkheim in his book 'Suicide', Durkheims book outlines the social causes of suicide rather than personal, the issues identified are when an individual struggles with social change, causing them to alienate themselves from social groups resulting them to go into a deep state of depression. 
(John A. Spaulding, George Simpson, Emile Durkheim,Suicide,The free press,1979)

http://powerofdesign.wolfsonian.org/blog/complaint-modern-life
10.02.2016

Man on the Ledge. The artist is Stuyvesant Van Everst painting is an image representing the anomie state of mind, what is interesting about this image is the story behind it is for the viewer to decide, knowing that the anomie theory has been applied when creating the piece gives evidence that the character felt overwhelmed by social issues that one cannot control, leading me believe pressures from work due to the building and clothing. From this image I can understand that the background story is important and can choose to either show it visually, or through the text as well as leaving the viewer to imagine what drove the character to do so.

Religion.

"Thou shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13)

Suicide in Religion is frowned upon Christians believe that only God has the right to deprive anyone of their life, as it is believed that the people in your life still need you and your purpose of life is not yet over. Perhaps the point that suicide is forbidden is why some feel tempted by the act, some may see death in a rose tinted light and romanticise over the taboo, the fear or fearlessness of the unknown after death. 

All religions other than pagans see suicide as a sin this is because the religion is fairly modern and believe everyone is free to make their decisions, although primarily it is not encouraged within the religion, there is no doctrine making it impossible to know what the given rules are for paganism. There is a possibility that pagans are more at risk for committing suicide as the anomie theory suggests those with more social freedom are more likely to commit suicide, pagans believe that there is no evil after life, they believe that all forms of karma only exist in the present.

Hell. Dirk Bouts.

Dirk Bouts image is an illusion of hell. I find the image interesting as murder is believed to be the worst sin within most religions specifically Christianity, therefore stemming the belief that anyone who commits the act will 'fall' to hell. The image is full of semiotics that many of us associate with the underworld, it appears the figures in the image are all being punished, the image for me depicts demonic creatures possibly representing the devil, flames and darkness. Everyone appears to be naked in the image, nakedness is often associated with innocence and vulnerability, however in this situation I believe it denotes humiliation, and not being worth enough to cover the body. 

It would be interesting to incorporate the christian belief within one of the narratives such as having the crucifix as a prop to communicate the characters faith, or perhaps to demonstrate a form of re-birth as the character has found an end to their inner suffering. The bath scene can be communicated as a baptism as christians believe suicide is self murder it will demonstrate the rejection of a social practice and will communicate an end to the emotional suffering of the individual.



All of the information has given me a greater understanding, of the interpersonal and social issues can both lead to suicidal behaviour. The information has inspired me to create images that show how personal and social factors can lead to the feeling of entrapment, it is important for the images to demonstrate the emotional suffering.

'Life after suicide' (BBC One. 19th February) is an insightful documentary about the victims trapped inside a suicidal mind, the ones left behind after the suicide, and the recent physiological factors to help others understand why the act is committed. 

The documentary stated that people are afraid to talk about suicide even though a high percentage of us know someone who has committed suicide, the programme featured those who had lost at least one of their loved ones due to suicide. The partakers admitted that after talking about the act they instantly felt better and feel as though it is not an issue that should be ignored everyone should be able to express their feelings about the issues they are facing. No one should have to suffer in silence if the public spoke more openly about mental health and death then they believe that the suicide rate would decrease, as the victim would openly ask for help if they are having feelings of hopelessness and entrapment.

“If you can talk about it you can be happy again”

Angela's story.

Angela Samata's husband committed suicide 11 years ago, Samata says that her previous husband showed no signs depression he had a happy relationship, a child, a good job and seemed genuinely happy, Samata found her husband hanging in the hallway after a day at work. Angela has confessed that she was extremely devastated and found it hard to carry on with her life like everyone else around her until se began to research the reasons why people turn to suicide, along with gaining understanding on the topic, the figure discovered that speaking to others about the death has helped her to move on with her life. It is also important to talk about a suicide if they had a close relationship with them as it can cause a domino effect causing the person close to them to fall into a depressed state that can lead to suicide. By speaking about the unfortunate event it can help others affected to accept what has happened to make sure it is not repeated and that they are not alone.

“Honesty and openess is the best way to deal with loss due to suicide”

Professor O'connor has worked with over 2000 suicidal patients and discussed the common factors of a suicidal patient. O'connor believes that suicide is an expression of unbearable pain, the victim wants the pain to end and feels this is the right option for them to find happiness, so in some cases it can be seen as a positive experience on behalf of the victim as they are able to escape from the manic depressive state. The professor states that when one is suicidal small problems can be magnified, leading others around them that have never suffered with depression to not be able to empathise as they do not understand the state of mind and believe that the struggle is over dramatic instead of seeing it is a cry for help, leaving the suicidal person reluctant to talk about their suffering which can often lead to self harm or suicide.

It is so important to communicate that I have researched the topic throughly and I myself have experienced the loss of another through suicide, as I understand that the topic should be approached with sensitivity.

Suicide statistics and methods UK.

Every forty seconds someones commits suicide.  The data is surprising to see how many adults in the UK commit suicide this is without the adolescents as I was unable to source a table for those that are not adults. It's interesting to see that the male suicidal rate is higher than the female.

Reflecting on this research I feel as though I have gained more of an understanding of statistics and theories that I can apply when creating my characters.