Protest Suicide: A Systematic Model with Heuristic Archetypes

Suicide as a form of political protest is a little studied social phenomenon that cannot be dismissed simply as being irrational or patholognomic. We consider protest suicide to be a meaningful social action as purposive political act intended to change oppressive policies or practices. This paper synthesizes theoretical propositions associated with suicide in general, and protest suicide in particular, so as to construct a general explanatory model of protest suicide as a social phenomenon. Then, it analyzes protest suicide as a meaningful social action. People considering protest suicide have to discern the logic of the situation in which such action is to take place. This involves answering two fundamental questions: Is suicide an acceptable course of social action? Is the envisaged protest suicide likely to achieve their hopes, aspirations and goals? How these questions are answered gives rise to a set of protest suicide archetypes. Our analysis generates a more sophisticated understanding of the potential reasons for, and motivations behind, protest suicide as a social phenomenon.     

Client Suicide

Abstract

Mourning a suicide can be a difficult, complicated experience for family and friends. A therapist's bereavement can be even more complex. The multitude of feelings is often unspoken and/or unattended by colleagues, loved ones, and themselves. This article explores some defenses, both helpful and unhelpful, that one clinician used to process the event.     

记忆理论与作家口述史研究——基于邵洵美"狱中嘱托"事件的分析

口述史的研究方法已被应用于诸多学科,但在文学研究领域,作家口述史研究的独特价值和主要功能尚缺乏明晰的阐述.借鉴学术界影响甚大的集体记忆理论和文化记忆理论,透视1960年前后的中国作家邵洵美"狱中嘱托"事件发现:运用集体记忆理论有益于探究社会框架对作家记忆效果和口述方式的规约作用,参考文化记忆理论有助于理解作家口述效应与身份认同机制的深层关系.     

个体的自我保存与社会学的现代道德人格属性:《自杀论》中的双重结构

根据涂尔干关于自杀的定义,自杀必然意味着有意识的选择死亡。死亡只有一种对立面,即不死,二者之间没有中间项。所以,当涂尔干在《自杀论》中讨论自杀的时候,同时必然是在隐秘地讨论自杀的对立面,即自我保存。在《自杀论》的中译本中,这一隐秘线索的许多证据都被清除,导致书中“自我保存”这一线索在中文学界没有受到重视。本文尝试通过文本分析的方法来理解涂尔干的这一线索。他将不同类型的自杀视为不同道德的极端表达,在具体分析中常常采用一体两面的视角去讨论行动者在何种道德状态下才可能实现“自我保存”。本文试图通过比较说明,涂尔干对这三种自杀类型的界定,以及通过这一界定所呼吁的道德状态,与他对社会学的界定有内在实质的关联。在这个意义上,对于涂尔干来说,社会学本身即是某种现代道德人格的表达,而这种道德人格对于现代性个体与社会学这门学科来说,都具有自我保存的效力。     

从农村家庭变迁看农村老人自杀现象

近些年,我国农村老年人的自杀率有上升的势头。本文从家庭结构、家庭规模、家庭关系等方面分析了农村家庭变迁及其对农村老人自杀的影响,并结合杜尔克姆的社会整合理论认为,农村老人自杀增多与由于转型期农村家庭的各种变化导致家庭凝聚力下降从而使传统家庭具有的自杀免疫能力下降有关。     

The Bereavement of Parents and Their Search for Meaning

Summary The emotional relief of bereavement is generally recognizedas being the primary task of mourner and caregiver, but lessattention has been given to the ways in which the bereaved understandtheir experience and reconstitute family life. Recent studiesof parents whose children have died in traumatic circumstances,from murder, suicide and operation, suggest that it is an essentialpart of griefwork to resolve the meaninglessness of the crises.Those whose children die from chronic disease, handicaps, oraccidents, also need to find a meaning in their tragedies. Bereavementis thus a total psychophysical experience of suffering, andthe renewal of family life depends on the acceptance of separationand the regenerative use of its pain. Insights from psychiatrists and sociologists are acknowledgedand related to those of bereaved parents, and to the developmentof their self-help association, The Compassionate Friends. Theseprovide models of mourning and a collective response to familyloss which offer hope, support and varieties of meaning to thenewly bereaved. The roles of health and social workers involved in pre- andpost-bereavement care are explored, and ideas are offered formaking the social network more supportive. It is suggested thatthis will not be costly in material resources, but in thoseneeded for the more therapeutic involvement of the caregiver.     

Social Foundations of National Anthems: Theorizing for a Better Understanding of the Changing Fate of the National Anthem of China

A national anthem is arguably one of the most powerful symbols for a nation‐state, with impact beyond its ceremonial purposes. One source of its power lies in the lyrical content, bearing imprints of the past and texts for potentially guiding future behavior. In this paper we study the social foundations of national anthems with the Chinese national anthem as a case by analyzing its production through two changing texts—the lyrics of the anthem and key political documents from the period of 1949–2005. The current national anthem, “March of the Volunteers,” adopted in 1949, was forbidden during the Cultural Revolution, and was restored in 1978, albeit with a new set of lyrics, and used until 1982 when the original lyrics were restored. Drawing upon the literature on collective focus (as defined by Cerulo) and social relations (as informed by Weber), we build a theoretical model for understanding the changes in the Chinese national anthem. According to this model, the creation of collective memory in the form of a national anthem is conditioned by the cognitive and social context in terms of the type of collective focus (singular or multiple) and the kind of top‐bottom social relation (rational or traditional). The changing fate of the Chinese national anthem illustrates the efficacy of the theoretical model.     

Suicide prevention in Bangladesh: The current state and the way forward

Despite the World Health Organization's (WHO) call to adopt a national action plan on suicide, Bangladesh is yet to respond proactively to prevent this serious public health problem. The existing government and non‐government prevention interventions are very limited, segmented and almost invisible. Suicide (including attempted suicide) is currently a criminal offense under the Bangladeshi legal framework. The aim of this paper is to propose a framing toward a national suicide prevention action plan in Bangladesh based on a situational analysis of local existing suicide prevention interventions. International policy documents, empirical and review works, and legal documents that speak to suicide interventions were reviewed. Critical analysis of these interventions suggests that Bangladesh should prioritize the adoption of a multi‐sectoral suicide prevention action plan. The issue of decriminalization suicide should be carefully considered and policies harmonized before adopting the plan. Obtaining commitment from the policymakers to launch such intervention may be challenging. Considering the seriousness of the problem, Bangladeshi policymakers should be proactive in adopting a suicide prevention action plan. Neighboring countries provide useful lessons of the implementation measures that may assist with developing a suicide prevention action plan.     

Preventing Suicide: A Neglected Social Work Research Agenda

Social workers encounter suicidal clients; however, little isknown about social work’s empirical knowledge base forsuicide assessment and treatment. In the first comprehensivestudy of social work’s contribution to the suicide literature,the authors conducted systematic electronic and manual searchesfor suicide research published in peer-reviewed journals bysocial work investigators for the period 1980–2006, withthe purpose of ascertaining the state of clinical knowledgerelated to suicide risk factors and effective treatments. Thesefindings reveal that despite recent increases to the study ofsuicide by social work researchers, they have contributed limitedevidenced-based knowledge in the last twenty-six years on thetreatment or prevention of suicide or suicide-related behaviours.The article outlines the risk factors for suicide and discussesthe implications for clinical social work practice and research.     

从在线到离线：基于互联网的集体行动的形成及其影响因素——以反建X餐厨垃圾站运动为例

本文以反对垃圾站选址的社区集体抗争为例,采用虚拟民族志方法,展现了业主利用互联网进行抗争的行动图景,揭示了基于互联网的集体行动从线上走向线下的过程和影响因素。研究发现,对于浅层行动,在线动员能够实现广泛的离线参与;对于深层行动,在政治弱控制、参与热情高涨的运动初期,在线动员效果较好,但在政治控制介入、行动力弱化的运动维持阶段,则需要通过离线的二次动员或现实网络及组织的生成来保证行动参与并支撑运动的持续性。文章指出,互联网的动员潜力、行动特性及运动历程综合影响着从在线到离线的转换,而控制因素产生的政治风险塑造着网络动员的方式和策略,型构着网民群体的行动逻辑,并最终呈现为对在线动员效果的约制。     

The Emotional Climate of Nations and Their Culture of Peace

Societies seem to have emotional climates that affect how people feel and act in public situations. Unlike the emotions experienced in an individual's personal life, these modal feelings reflect a collective response to the socio-economic-political situation of the society and influence how most people behave toward one another and their government. A government may foster a climate of fear to ensure social control, or it may encourage the formation of heterogeneous social groups to facilitate a climate of trust between people from different groups. On one hand, emotional climates may be viewed as reflecting the relative peacefulness or violence of a society. Thus, an assessment of emotional climate may provide a subjective index of human security to complement objective measures of democracy, human rights, equality, and other factors that we presume are beneficial to human welfare. On the other hand, we may view emotional climates as influences that act to further or to impede the development of the culture of peace advocated by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Thus, their assessment may have predictive power, and measuring a society's emotional climate may help us to create desirable policy. In this article we show that it is possible to measure some important aspects of the emotional climates of three nations that have different degrees of a culture of peace: Norway, the United States, and India. We show that estimates of the collective emotions that constitute climate can be distinguished from reports of personal emotions in that the former are more influenced by nation and the latter by social class. It is the subjective experience of national emotional climate, rather than personal emotional experience, that appears most related to objective indices for the culture of peace in the different nations.     

Young people's gendered interpretations of suicide and attempted suicide

This paper aims to uncover gendered interpretations of various kinds of suicidal behaviour. Its empirical basis is focus group discussions with a range of young people, including users of social work services. In support of Canetto's research, the authors found some of the young people to be associating ‘successful’ suicides with masculinity and ‘failed’ suicide attempts with femininity. These feminized suicide attempts were subject to some fairly pejorative interpretations, such as being motivated by revenge or manipulation. There was no particular pattern of viewpoints in terms of the sex of respondents. The implications of these findings for social work are discussed.     

仪式教育:当代大学生素质教育与和谐社会构建应当关注的问题

仪式涉及到集体记忆、文化传承、知识传授、人文素质教育,同时也涉及到个体的文化及修养;仪式的精神体现出转折、改变、升华的建构意义,它赋予单调生活以意义,通过群体促进个体意义、价值的发现,发挥着凝聚、团结的作用。因此,仪式和仪式教育应当成为当代大学生人文素质教育与和谐社会构建关注的维度和视角。     

志愿服务:和谐社会的集体意识——试析志愿服务意识及其成长模型

文章认为,志愿者精神是中国社会转型过程中产生的一种新的用来增强社会整合的"集体意识"。志愿服务意识的形成能对公众的行为起到有效的导向作用,但意识的深浅将导致行为走势的连锁反映,而有我利他的深层志愿服务意识更有利于志愿者行动的持久化。本文在对志愿服务意识的含义和类型进行分析的基础上,建构了志愿服务意识的成长模型。     

志愿服务:和谐社会的集体意识——试析志愿服务意识及其成长模型

文章认为,志愿者精神是中国社会转型过程中产生的一种新的用来增强社会整合的集体意识。志愿服务意识的形成能对公众的行为起到有效的导向作用,但意识的深浅将导致行为走势的连锁反映,而有我利他的深层志愿服务意识更有利于志愿者行动的持久化。本文在对志愿服务意识的含义和类型进行分析的基础上,建构了志愿服务意识的成长模型。     

记忆研究的“社会-文化”范式:对“哈布瓦赫-阿斯曼”研究传统的解读

通过分析“哈布瓦赫-阿斯曼”研究路径中有关社会、文化等概念,可以得出一个较为清晰的记忆研究的“社会-文化”范式,从而弥补当下记忆研究无范式的缺陷。这一范式尤其体现在与神圣记忆密切相关的“社会框架论”、社会品质,以及卡农、神话、节日等概念中。从社会学角度看,能够促发人们回忆的社会力来自涂尔干所谓的“神圣社会”。哈布瓦赫记忆理论中的“社会框架论”和“社会品质”概念是涂尔干的“社会本体论”思想的核心表现,由此形成一种哈布瓦赫的“神圣记忆观”。扬·阿斯曼文化记忆理论中的重要概念“卡农”,也是一种神圣记忆。卡农等概念是扬·阿斯曼对哈布瓦赫的“社会框架论”的继承和推进。上述要素构成记忆研究的“社会-文化”范式的基础。从“取向”讨论转向“范式”分析,有助于推进社会记忆研究传统的生成和发展。     

Role of social welfare in European suicide prevention

Yur'yev A, Värnik A, Värnik P, Sisask M, Leppik L. Role of social welfare in European suicide prevention The aims of this study were to assess the relationship between suicide mortality and social expenditure in 26 European countries, explore attitudes towards welfare systems and their relationship with suicide mortality, and compare attitudes towards welfare provision in Eastern and Western Europe. The World Health Organization suicide data and Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development social expenditure data for 1980–2005 were used. Data on attitudes towards welfare systems were taken from the European Social Survey. Differences between mean scores for attitudes in Western and Eastern European countries were calculated. Correlations between social expenditure and suicide trends were negative in most countries for both genders. Inverse correlations between attitudes towards welfare provision and suicide mortality rates were demonstrated for males only. Differences in attitudes were found between Eastern and Western European countries; for example, confidence in the welfare system was found to be stronger in Western Europe. Higher social expenditure and greater confidence in welfare provision appear to have suicide‐preventive effects.     

北京市家庭户的变化及外来人口影响

根据第五次人口普查数据 ,北京市的集体户人口比例已高达 12 % ,并且在家庭人口中外来人口比例也从 1990年的 2 %急剧提高到近 12 % ,这些重大变化在对北京市人口老龄化和家庭户变迁的学术研究和政策制定时均已不可忽视。本文计算了不同口径的北京市人口老龄化水平 ,还揭示出近年来北京市家庭户规模的大幅下降的主要原因仍是少儿比例的不断降低。本文还从年龄别、户主率和户居类型比例两个角度揭示了家庭结构变化和家庭养老功能 ,并且特别比较和分析了本市户籍人口和外来人口之间的差异     

Life Review Therapy

Reminiscence in the aged is frequently viewed as pathological-a wish to escape from the present, a loss of recent memory, or useless and repetitive rambling. However, talking about the events of one's life may be indicative of just the opposite--a healthy activity with adaptive value for coping with the final stages of life. According to Erik Erikson, the nearness of death precipitates a crisis during which a person evaluates his/her accomplishments and failures in order to find meaning in life. If he/she does this successfully, "integrity" rather than "despair" can be achieved. It is to this end that the technique of life review therapy was developed. To illustrate this therapy, this paper includes a case presentation of a 73-year-old man.