by Russell A. Vacante, Ph.D.
Since 1972 I have had a close
relationship and fondness for South Korea and its’ people. The fact that within recent years South Korea
has acquired the reputation as the suicide capital of the industrial world is
something I find very distributing. How
the people of this small yet very prosperous county got to this point and what
can be done to quell the rising suicide rate is something I am interested in
exploring. I’m requesting readers of
this article to make written contributions that could possibly help explain the
reason for Korea’s escalating rate of suicide.
I hope to soon embark upon a rigorous research and writing project that
will contribute to our mutual understanding of Korea’s high suicide rate. Given my background and experience, however, this
may be a formable challenge since I am attempting to understand this
unfortunate phenomenon through a Western cultural lens.
My social science background,
deep-rooted Western cultural believes and values, along with my favorable
disposition towards Korea and my three-year residence in Seoul while doing
graduate research, all have the potential to distort my research endeavor and
ultimate conclusions regarding the subject of suicide in Korea. By publicly acknowledging these biases, I
hope to heighten my awareness of them to the extent it serves as a constant
reminder to keep my research and writing focused on verifiable historical,
political and cultural findings. While it may seldom be possible for any
researcher to entirely escape their biases, it is possible to make a conscience
effort to mitigate them. This short blog
article begins this process for me.
The father of sociology,
David Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) introduced the concept of “anomie” into social
science literature as a way to help explain the social causes of suicide. In his book, Suicide (1987), the French sociologist addresses how the feeling of alienation, or the breakdown of
social norms, can lead to “derangement” and “an insatiable will” which has in
more recent years been coined as “normlessness.” An extrapolation of this theory is that
individual detachment from or confusion of societal norms and values leads to depression
in individuals, which if not properly treated, may set the stage for suicide.
At prima facie value, it
seems to me, that Durkheim’s theory of “anomie” is not antithetical to neither
scholarly nor popular perceptions, in both Korea and the U.S., about the root
cause of suicide. Many maintain that the
high rate of suicide in Korea is primarily associated with the rapid rate at
which socio-economic and political change is occurring within that
society. Change is occurring at such an exponential
rate that many people find it difficult to adjust to the breakdown of long-established
norms and values. In other words, there
is a conflict between past cultural expectations and rapidly emerging, norms
and values related to modernity. The long
established Confucian virtue or value of filial piety, respect and obedience
for authority, care for parents and other elderly family members, is rapidly
being bombarded by the Western concept of individualism and economic competitive
capitalism.
The societal changes occurring
in Korean society may lead to a feeling of “normlessness” or “anomie” which in
turn may manifest itself in some individuals in the form of depression. The
depression resulting from not understanding how and where one fits in the new
social order may result in a loss of self; i.e. folks become uncertain of who
they are, and what is expected of them. Individuals
suffering from acute depression anxiety may decide that they can no longer successfully
meet the expectations associated with the new social order. Committing suicide may appear to be a convenient
way to escape from their inability to cope with waning familiar norms and
values. Thus, in keeping with Durkheim’s
theory of anomie, I have some preliminary observations that seem to logically
follow. Hopefully, these preliminary observations
will become integral to further study on this topic.
The fact that most suicide victims
in Korea “implode,” take their own life, rather than “explode,” take action so
others may extinguish their life may, in part, suggest the strong sense of
family and community responsibilities traditionally valued in Korea. In the U.S., the term “suicide by cop” has
become a relatively commonplace lexicon. Unlike Koreans, the “individualistic” nature
of American society tends to, comparatively speaking, negate strong family and community
ties. Therefore, in Korea, whether it is
a monk setting himself aflame in political protest, high school students jumping
off a mountain top together when one fails to pass a college entrance
examination, or a mother living in abject poverty permitting furnace fumes to
extinguish her and her children’s’ lives, the thread of continuity appears to
be alienation from society, that results in acute depression, and eventual
suicide.
Additionally, the stigma
associated with depression in Korea often means that community awareness and institutional
treatment mechanisms are not generally available for treating depression, as
was the case in the U.S. approximately thirty-years ago. The rate of suicide in Korea most likely would
decrease if there was less shame and more cultural tolerance and support of
individuals suffering from depression and related mental illness. The low societal acknowledgement and empathy
for the mentally depressed, as well as, the relative lack of medical treatment
for depression in Korea may, in a large part, be an important contributing
factor to the country’s high suicide rate.
Alternatively, the lower rate of suicide in the U.S. may be attributed
to the increasing acknowledgement of depression as a treatable mental illness
and the availability of counseling and medication.
Lastly, I share with other Western
observers another suspect factor that may partially account for Korea’s high suicide
rate. This observation may be associated with the Confucian, as opposed to a Christian
based belief system. Among one of the
most adherent Christian beliefs is that suicide is a grave sin. It is considered
a selfish act since it adversely impacts the well-being of family, friends and
society. Some Christians even believe
that individuals who commit suicide go to hell upon dying. Conversely, Confusion
norms, to my understanding, preside on the respect and reverence of ancestors
as opposed to the Christian belief of reward and punishment after death. Thus, it seems logical to observe that suicide
victims in Korea will kill themselves so they are no longer a burden to their
family and community. While Western
Christian suicide victims, kill themselves for a more individualistic notion. Their attention
is focused upon their individual shortcomings and much less upon the consequences
that killing themselves will have on family members and society. The time they spend in hell, many Christians
would argue, reinforces the notion that individuals have
to pay for their sins. It will be interesting to discover if the large
Christian community in Korea has a suicide rate similar to the non-Christian
community. (note - the suicide rate in
North Korea reportedly is very high for reason of oppressions and not due to
the impact of modernity upon long-established norms and values).
These are just a few preliminary
observations as I begin a more in depth study into the high rate of suicide of
in South Korea. Durkheim’s theory of
anomie, at present, appears to be a first step towards understanding how rapid
socio-political and economic change in Korea can lead to alienation from society
that, in turn results in acute individual depression and culminates for some in
suicide. The observations mentioned
above: the implosive nature of suicide in Korea, the stigma associated with
depression in Korea, as well as, the impact of Western religious-societal norms
and values will be further explored in pursuit of determining the root causes
of suicide in Korea. To my Western way
of thinking, these observations while not confirming Durkheim’s theory, also do
not contradict it.
Your comments into this
subject and additional research may, hopefully, lead to a greater understanding
of this phenomenon. Only by discovering the root cause of the high rate of
suicide in Korea may a preventable solution emerge. I’m counting on the readership to help guard
me against bias I have that may interfere with my research and findings. Thank
you for your cooperation and insight!
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