3.2 Mental Illness & Suicide

• What are 2 criticisms of labelling theory?

  Deterministic, assumes once someone is labelled, a deviant career is inevitable

  Fails to explain why people commit primary deviance
• Goffman's study on Asylums


  -He showed the possible effects of being admitted to institutions like psychiatric hospitals

  -On admission the inmate has a mortification of self, their old identity is killed off and they are just an inmate

  -This is done though degradation rituals like taking personal objects

  -Same with, prisons, armies, monasteries and boarding schools
• Lemert's study of paranoia


  1. Some people don't fit into groups very well, because of this primary deviance, they label them as odd and exclude them

  2. The negative response makes secondary deviance

  3. People may talk about how they can deal with their situation

  4. This confirms their suspicions that people are out to get them

  5. This may lead to psychiatric intervention, making them be put in a hospital against their will

  6. So the label mental patient becomes his master status and everything they do will be seen that way
• What did Douglas say about meanings of suicide?


  -We must use qualitative methods like like the analysis of suicide notes & unstructured interviews with the deceased's family & friends

  -To discover the death's true meaning
• What would affect if a death is ruled as a suicide?

  -Interactions between family, friends, coroners, doctors etc

  -Coroner with strong religious beliefs that suicide is a sin may be reluctant to rule it
• What do interactionists think about Durkheim's study of suicide?


  -They reject his use of official statistics

  -We must study suicide's meanings for those who kill themselves