National wealth and suicide

Abstract

Durkheim's conclusion 'La misère protège' seems to be correct on the international scale: the wealthier one country is, the higher is its suicide rate. During the 19th century wealth and suicide in western countries progressed equally. However, a great change occurred at the beginning of the 20th century: regardless of the continuing economic growth in these countries, suicide rate started to stagnate or even decrease. Moreover, in the most developed regions and prosperous cities this rate is at its lowest today, and the highest rates are being observed in backward rural areas. It seems that societies of late modernity have been able to find, in the world of work and in cities, some new forms of sociability ('creative individualism') capable to amortize the influence of factors favorable for suicide.

Dirkemov zaključak 'La misère protège' je tačan na nivou međunarodnih poređenja: što je jedna zemlja bogatija, to je viša stopa samoubistva u njoj. U 19. veku bogatstvo i samoubistvo u zapadnim zemljama progresiraju istim ritmom. Ali u jednom trenutku, početkom 20. veka, dolazi do velike promene: iako se ubrzani privredni rast nastavlja, stopa samoubistva u ovim zemljama počinje da stagnira i čak opada. Šta više, u najrazvijenijim regionima i prosperitetnim gradovima stopa je danas najniža, a najviša je u zaostalim i ruralnim područjima. Izgleda da su društva kasne modernosti uspela da pronađu, u svetu rada i u gradu, nove oblike socijabilnosti ('kreativni individualizam') koji uspevaju da delom 'amortizuju' uticaj faktora povoljnih za rast stope samoubistva.