This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kral, M. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Kral, M. J. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Suicide and the Internalization of Culture: Three Questions

University of Windsor, Ontario

Despite much writing and discussion on suicide that gives credence to the importance of a multidimensional perspective, the current view of suicide continues to be strongly person-centered. Examining suicide from a cultural vantage point, three questions are suggested for investigation concerning (1) the internalization of the idea of suicide, (2) individual and collective vulnerability to this idea, and (3) the 'great origin myth' in suicidology. Although the act of killing oneself is ultimately that of an individual, it is argued here that it is less a solo venture than a product of the collectivity of ideas. A deeper understanding of suicide will be realized through theory incorporating the dialectic of person and culture.

Key Words: constructionism • internalization • risk • suicide • theory

Transcultural Psychiatry, Vol. 35, No. 2, 221-233 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/136346159803500203


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. A. Kidd Factors Precipitating Suicidality among Homeless Youth: A Quantitative Follow-Up Youth Society, June 1, 2006; 37(4): 393 - 422. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. A. Kidd "The Walls Were Closing in, and We Were Trapped": A Qualitative Analysis of Street Youth Suicide Youth Society, September 1, 2004; 36(1): 30 - 55. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. J. Palmer Jr. Body Mass Index, Self-Esteem, and Suicide Risk in Clinically Depressed African American and White American Females Journal of Black Psychology, November 1, 2003; 29(4): 408 - 428. [Abstract] [PDF]

				W.-C. Tzeng Being Trapped in a Circle: Life after a Suicide Attempt in Taiwan J Transcult Nurs, October 1, 2001; 12(4): 302 - 309. [Abstract] [PDF]