SUICIDE - A MULTIDIMENSIONAL MALAISE

No one really knows why human beings commit suicide. The goal of this paper is to provide a psychological point of view on the topic, among the many other perspectives that are needed. It addresses the question by providing a theory of suicide, arguing that it is theory that allo ws us to sort out the booming buzzing mess of experience (Wm. James). Suicide is a multidimensional malaise. Metaphorically speaking, it is an intrapsychic drama on an interpersonal stage. As sound theory must be empirically observable, the theory is next applied to research of s uicide notes, studying such factors as age, sex, and method of suicide , cross-culture and cross-time. Next, because all theory must have cli nical applicability, a clinical case study of Goethe's Werther is prov ided. Overall, it is concluded that we need to continue to develop mod els to understand the suicidal mind.