Abstract
Suicidal behavior is highly complex and multifaceted. Consequent to the pioneering work of Durkheim and Freud, theoreticians have attempted to explain the biological, social, and psychological nature of suicide. The present work presents an overview and critical discussion of the most influential theoretical models of the psychological mechanisms underlying the development of suicidal behavior. All have been tested to varying degrees and have important implications for the development of therapeutic and preventive interventions. Broader and more in-depth approaches are still needed to further our understanding of suicidal phenomena.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beck AT, Weissman A, Lester D, Trexler L. The measurement of pessimism: the hopelessness scale. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1974;42:861–5.
Belsher BE, et al. Prediction models for suicide attempts and deaths. JAMA Psychiat. 2019;76:642–51.
Clarke RV, Lester D. Suicide: closing the exits. New York: Springer; 1989.
Durkheim E. Le suicide. Paris: Felix Alcan; 1897.
Franklin JC, Robeiro JD, Fox KR, Bentley KH, Kleinman EM, Nock MK. Risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behavior. Psychol Bull. 2016;143:187–232.
Gibbs JP, Martin WT. A theory of status integration and its relationship to suicide. Am Sociol Rev. 1958;23:140–7.
Harrington A. Mind fixers: psychiatry’s troubled search for the biology of mental illness. New York: W. W. Norton; 2019.
Hawton K, Townsend E, Deeks J, Appleby L, Gunnell D, Bennewith O, Cooper J. Effects of legislation restricting pack sizes of paracetamol and salicylate on self-poisoning in the United Kingdom. Br Med J. 2001;322:1203–7.
Henry AF, Short JF. Suicide and homicide. Glencoe: Free Press; 1954.
Hjelmeland H, Knizek BL. The emperor’s new clothes: a critical look at the interpersonal theory of suicide. Death Stud. 2020;44:168–78.
Jakobsen JC, et al. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors versus placebo in patients with major depressive disorder. BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17:58.
Jobes DA. Managing suicidal risk. New York: Guilford; 2016.
Joiner TE. Why people die by suicide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 2005.
Lester D. A subcultural theory of teenage suicide. Adolescence. 1987;22:317–20.
Lester D. Suicide from a sociological perspective. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas; 1989.
Lester D. Is there a need for suicide prevention? Crisis. 1992;13:94.
Lester D. Reflections on the statistical rarity of suicide. Crisis. 1994a;15:187.
Lester D. Applying Durkheim’s typology to individual suicides. In: Lester D, editor. Durkheim’s Le Suicide one hundred years later. Philadelphia: Charles Press; 1994b. p. 224–36.
Lester D. Oppression and suicide. Suicidology Online. 2014a;5:59–73.
Lester D. Rational suicide. Is it possible? Reflections on the suicide of Martin Manley. Hauppauge: Nova; 2014b.
Lester D, Yang B. The economy and suicide. Commack: Nova Science; 1997.
Lester D, Beck AT, Mitchell B. Extrapolation from attempted suicides to completed suicides. J Abnorm Psychol. 1979;88:78–80.
Levy JE. The effects of labeling on health behavior and treatment programs among North American Indians. Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res Monogr Ser. 1988;1:211–31.
Litman RE. Sigmund Freud on suicide. In: Shneidman ES, editor. Essays on self-destruction. New York: Science House; 1967. p. 324–44.
Maris RW, Berman AL, Maltsberger JT, Yufit RI, editors. Assessment and prediction of suicide. New York: Guilford; 1992.
Menninger K. Man against himself. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World; 1938.
Neuringer C. Methodological problems in suicide research. J Consult Psychol. 1962;26:273–8.
Palmer A, Cates ME, Gorman G. The association between lithium in drinking water and incidence of suicide across 15 Alabama counties. Crisis. 2018;40:93–9.
Pescosolido BA. The social context of religious integration and suicide. Sociol Q. 1990;31:3370357.
Pigott HE. STAR*D: a tale and trail of bias. Ethical Hum Psychol Psychiatry. 2011;13:6–28.
Platt SD. Unemployment and suicidal behavior. Soc Sci Med. 1984;19:93–115.
Regier DA, Boyd JH, Burke JD, Rae DS, Myers JK, Kramer M, et al. One-month prevalence of mental disorders in the United States. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1988;45:977–86.
Reynolds FMT, Berman AL. An empirical typology of suicide. Arch Suicide Res. 1995;1:97–109.
Richman J. Family therapy for suicidal people. New York: Springer; 1986.
Roberts RE, Chen YR, Roberts CR. Ethnocultural differences in prevalence of adolescent suicidal behaviors. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1997;27:208–17.
Stack S. The effect of religious commitment on suicide. J Health Soc Behav. 1983;24:362–74.
Wilkins J. Suicidal behavior. Am Sociol Rev. 1967;32:286–98.
Yufit RI, Lester D, editors. Assessment, treatment, and prevention of suicidal behavior. New York: Wiley; 2004.
Zhang J. From psychological strain to disconnectedness. Crisis. 2016;37:169–75.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Lester, D. (2022). Models of Suicide and Their Implications for Suicide Prevention. In: Pompili, M. (eds) Suicide Risk Assessment and Prevention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42003-1_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42003-1_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-42002-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-42003-1
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences