Suicide as a Dramatic Performance / Edition 1

by David Lester

Overview

Each suicide is as unique as the individuals involved, especially if one examines the nature of the act and to what extent these acts can be viewed as a theatrical performance. Focusing on the dramatic aspects of suicide may seem tangential to the physical and mental pain experienced by those who try to kill themselves, but dramatic aspects often provide important clues for understanding the mental state of suicidal individuals.

David Lester and Steven Stack investigate what happens in the weeks, days and hours before a suicide when the suicidal individual must make decisions and formulate the script for his or her suicidal act. The editors argue that these choices may help us understand and prevent other suicides and stimulate new and innovative research in this important area.

Through twenty-five substantive chapters, including both quantitative and qualitative analyses, this book offers insights into suicide as a dramatic act, with chapters on the intended audience, the suicide note, the location and method chosen, and cultural scripts, including suicide-by-cop, sati, seppuku, and duels. The contributors to this volume argue that psychological, social, and cultural factors influence these choices and that the decisions made by the individual are important for understanding the mental state of the person choosing to die by suicide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412856942
Publisher:	Transaction Publishers
Publication date:	10/30/2015
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	354
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

David Lester is distinguished professor of psychology at the Stockton University. He serves on the editorial board of numerous professional journals, including Omega, Crisis, and Death Studies. He is the author or editor of nearly one hundred books, including Suicide and the Holocaust, Understanding Suicide, and Understanding and Preventing Suicide.

Steven Stack is professor of Criminal Justice and Psychiatry at Wayne State University. He is the author of more than 320 articles and chapters as well as four books, including Suicide as a Dramatic Performance.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction David Lester Steven Stack 1

2 Ritual, Dramatic Performance, and Suicide; An Anthropological Perspective Joseph Rubenstein 5

Part 1 The Suicide Note

3 The Presentation of the Self in Suicide Notes David Lester Bijou Yang 13

4 Dramatic Suicide Notes David Lester

5 The Body as a Suicide Note David Lester

6 Suicide and the Communicative Condition: Audience and the Idea of Suicide Jermaine Martinez 51

Part 2 The Location of the Suicidal Act

7 The Location of the Suicidal Act Steven Stack 73

8 Suicide Away from Home Steven Stack 77

9 Hotel Suicide and the Drug Subculture Steven Stack 95

10 Back to Nature: Suicide in Natural Areas Steven Stack 109

11 Suicide in the Grand Canyon National Park Steven Stack Barbara Bowman 129

12 Suicide in Public David Lester 151

13 Suicide on Television and Online David Lester 159

Part 3 The Methods Chosen for Suicide

14 The Methods Chosen for Suicide David Lester 167

15 The Rehearsal: Nonfatal Suicidal Behavior as a Precipitant of Suicide John E. Gunn III 183

16 Suicide by Fire: Ethnicity as a Predictor of Self-immolation in the United States Steven Stack Seth B. Abrutyn 193

17 Have Gun, Will Travel Steven Stack 211

18 Unusual Suicides Steven Stack 223

19 Methods of Suicide around the World Steven Stack 243

Part 4 Cultural Scripts for Suicide

20 Russian Roulette and Duels David Lester 259

21 Death by Seppuku David Lester 267

22 Self-immolation as a Protest David Lester 273

23 Victim-Precipitated Homicide David Lester 285

24 Sati David Lester 305

25 Suicide as the Liberation of the Soul David Lester 319

26 Conclusion David Lester Steven Stack 323

About the Authors 333

Senior Author Index 335

Subject Index 341

Editorial Reviews

"They [the editors] are convincing in pointing out that some suicides may be intended as theater. And that insight might provide some help to people on the ground trying to prevent suicide." —Peter J. Leithart, First Things "This is a remarkable book demonstrating that suicide is a performance with an audience. Suicide is social, is a communication, is rehearsed, and is acted on a particular stage. Suicide is not an isolated event as many think it is. This book is a must read for suicidologists, as well as anyone who thinks suicide is a lonely act. Readers will gain new insight into suicide through this book.” —Michael J. Kral, Wayne State University

From the Publisher