Effects of Personal and Situational Factors on Attitudes toward Suicide

Abstract

This study investigated whether attitudes on suicide would be affected by the individual's personal characteristics and the nature of the situation. It was hypothesized that suicide would be judged more or less “justifiable” depending on characteristics of the crisis confronting the suicidal individual as well as perception of the individual's general utility to society as a whole. Eighty undergraduates responded to sixteen fictional suicide case histories with judgments on a series of twelve items indicating their perception of the “justifiability” of the suicidal act in each case. Results showed that the personal characteristics of the suicidal individual made little difference, but that the nature of the crisis confronting the suicidal individual affected judgments of justifiability. Specifically, respondents tended to regard physical deterioration and pain as more justifiable motives for suicide than the less acceptable motives of mental deterioration or pain. Implications of the data for theories on suicide are discussed.