For most people, committing suicide is considered an act of cowardice. The act is often considered as taking the easy way out. As many would argue, by committing suicide, people attempt to escape from their responsibilities. On the other hand, other people consider suicide a brave move, noting that certain factors influence one into committing it. Under the latter argument, it is stated that most of the factors that influence a person into committing suicide are overlooked, with people choosing to focus on the ultimate act. The fact that dealing with issues such as depression or the trauma of having failed other people around one are noted to have adverse psychological impacts that are often hard to deal with. The fact that people even decide to take their own lives may be considered braver than deciding to live with the trauma. In fact, the people who commit suicide may be stated to be bold, energetic, passionate, and determined.
As Andrew Solomon notes, some of the qualities that make for one’s success, make for suicide. Through this, the author implies that while there is a widespread common view that the people commit suicide are cowards, it should be noted that they possess qualities that most people do not have ( Solomon, 2014 ). The mere fact that they dare to do the act is noted as bravery. Solomon notes that depression is a factor among the people that kill themselves, but states that the key drivers transcend the feeling of depression. For instance, the level of attachment between one and their family or the thing they love is one of the elements that programs one to a state in which they cannot bear the pain of a loss ( Jamison, 2011 ).
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It is noteworthy that for people who commit suicide, the ultimate act is majorly the focus. Mostly people do not consider the factors that drive the individual into committing the act. Common statements following a case of suicide include, ‘it is a cowardly way out’, or ‘it is not justified in any way’ ( Anderson, Lester & Rogers, 2008 ). These demonstrate that most people tend to overlook the circumstances under which the act is committed. However, Solomon asserts that while depression can be overlooked, its influences are great. Moreover, he asserts that most people believe that they are okay and fail to consider signs that they are headed towards suicide. For these people, living with the trauma of having failed or failed someone becomes the central focus, leading one to make a decision that most people, in their normalcy, would not make ( Cheng, Fancher, Ratanasen, Conner, Duberstein, Sue & Takeuchi, 2010 ).
Statistics show that most people that end up committing suicide are mostly under the influence of some drugs. Most successful suicide attempts are associated to people who are drunk. It is further noted that suicide from guns has a higher success rate than any other form of suicide ( Van Orden, Witte, Cukrowicz, Braithwaite, Selby & Joiner, 2010 ). This implies that the decision is notably difficult to push through with. In fact, the number of people in the United States that attempt suicide while complexly sober is significantly limited. The statistics also note that large percentage of suicide attempted by people who are sober is limited, an element that evidences the pressures that are associated with the decision ( Miranda & Shaffer, 2013 ). Like in venturing in a business or something new, the move requires that one demonstrate boldness, hence the view that a person who takes his or her own life is passionate.
According to Solomon, “ the meekness of depression could hardly imagine suicide; it takes the brilliance of self-recognition to destroy the object of that recognition ” ( Solomon, 2014 ). This may be interpreted to imply that people who commit suicide have a trait that distinguishes them from other individuals. Like the people who ultimately realize success, the individuals who end up committing suicide live with expectations that they would strive to have met irrespective of the conditions ( Cheng et al ., 2010). The element within them that enables them to understand the standards that they have set in their lives coupled with the enthusiasm that they have for the elements that they have reverence for may be considered the unique factor.
Solomon also associates suicidal people with impulsiveness. Most, as he notes, tend to demand more from life and often fail to recognize as they slide into positions that increases the likelihood of committing suicide. In his book The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression the author presents a discussion with a depressed individual in which he appears to illustrate a number of qualities associated to depressed individual that are likely to commit suicide ( Solomon, 2014 ). In this section, Solomon points out reckless tendencies such as over-speeding and engaging in extreme behaviors as part of the elements that are associable with depressed people who are likely kill themselves. While most people overlook other phases that may lead one to committing suicide, it is notable that the elements that Solomon describes are illustrations of the differences, from other people, that suicidal individuals feature. The passionate nature of their actions and the deep attachment that they develop towards the situations and people around them evidences that their passion transcends the normal, as would be ordinarily viewed in the society.
The common reason for seeking to commit suicide is to seek a solution to the problem that one may be experiencing. Suicide, unlike most people believe, is not a simple random act or a fit of craziness, as most people would consider it ( Anderson, Lester & Rogers, 2008 ). To the people that consider ending their lives, suicide is a representation of the answer to a problem that is, otherwise, insoluble. With most people believing that they face a dilemma that is unbearable, suicide stands out as a means to a satisfactory ending. For suicidal individuals, the events in their life that contribute to the problem bring about disability of some sorts or emotional distress that is dreaded more than death ( Jamison, 2011 ). In line with this, the ultimate decision to commit suicide may be considered as a means out of a psychological prison (Batterham, Calear & Christensen, 2013) . The belief that one would be trapped in their experiences and go through irredeemable psychological trauma triggers a unique determination to find a solution, which is presented in death.
Unlike popular belief, people who are suicidal feature a more passionate connection o people and their surrounding than most would want to believe. It is believed that people that actually intend to kill themselves do not communicate or talk about it. In fact, most are considered to isolate themselves and to shun association ( Cheng et al ., 2010). Contrary to this belief, suicide and the common interpersonal act that it features is the communication of intention. In most cases, people seeking to end their lives engage in activities and talks that are meant to pass the information ( Cheng et al ., 2010). As Solomon notes, these tendencies are not, only unnoticed to the people targeted by the communication, but also to the suicidal individuals themselves. However, issues such as putting excessive energy into what they do and demonstrating irrational passion for their encounters work as pointers ( Joiner, 2010 ). In his book, Solomon identifies things such as over-speeding as illustrations of his argument about suicidal individuals. About 80% of the people that end up taking their own lives, at some point, verbally talk about it or engage in behaviors that makes the fact implicit ( Van Orden et al ., 2010 ).
While it may be argued that people who commit suicide demonstrate passion, determination and boldness, it is noted that most use it as a means of escape from reality. It is also argued that most are often unwilling to explore problem-solving behaviors that show rationality ( Joiner, 2010 ) . However, it is important to take into account the motivators of the act. Some of the slogan that make evident the passionate approach to life that these people feature include “ death before dishonor ”, which demonstrates the reverence with which they regard their lives or factors that they believe to have lost as they seek to kill themselves (Batterham, Calear & Christensen, 2013). In most cases, the decision to kill oneself is driven by the extreme thoughts of having everything or nothing. The emotional appeal that people who commit suicide get from seeking to consider the rationality of their decisions helps in accounting for their characterization as noted.
It may also be asserted that the people that end up killing themselves work with high expectations that they believe to be obligated to meet. In most cases, people that have high expectations and standards of life are noted to feature vulnerability to suicidal thoughts when they face sudden frustrations to their progress towards the set goals. Most people encountering the frustrations and disappointments that trigger the thoughts of suicide often tend to associate them with their own failures and shortcomings. Most end up regarding themselves as incompetent, worthless and unlovable (Batterham, Calear & Christensen, 2013). The belief that they will live a life without the consideration of others determines their actions. Evidence of this fact is featured in the fact that most suicides are associated with family turmoil, whereby one feels unable to live with the thought that their family does not love them.
According to Solomon, “ suicide is not always a tragedy for the individual that dies, but that it comes too soon and sudden for the people left behind ” ( Solomon, 2014 ) . This, in conclusion, helps in explaining the misconception that people who commit suicide are cowards. It is factual that the view may be subjective. However, in considering the circumstances under which the decision is made and the difficulty associated to getting oneself to push through with the act, the courage that suicidal individuals feature becomes apparent. The element of expectations and the zeal that most have towards the targets that they set in life precipitates the inability to tolerate the disappointment of failure. It is factual that every individual seeks to have control of his or her life, as Solomon notes. This may be regarded as one of the primary justifications of the fact that suicidal individuals show strong passion by engaging in the act. Similarly, the fact that fear of death inspires people’s survival instinct demonstrates the fact that the decision to end one’s life may be considered as a bold step.
References
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Batterham, P. J., Calear, A. L., & Christensen, H. (2013). Correlates of suicide stigma and suicide literacy in the community. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior , 43 (4), 406-417.
Cheng, J. K. Y., Fancher, T. L., Ratanasen, M., Conner, K. R., Duberstein, P. R., Sue, S., & Takeuchi, D. (2010). Lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in Asian Americans. Asian American Journal of Psychology , 1 (1), 18.
Jamison, K. R. (2011). Night falls fast: Understanding suicide . Vintage.
Joiner, T. E. (2010). Myths about suicide . Harvard University Press.
Miranda, R., & Shaffer, D. (2013). Understanding the suicidal moment in adolescence. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences , 1304 (1), 14-21.
Solomon, A. (2014). The noonday demon: An atlas of depression . Simon and Schuster.
Van Orden, K. A., Witte, T. K., Cukrowicz, K. C., Braithwaite, S. R., Selby, E. A., & Joiner Jr, T. E. (2010). The interpersonal theory of suicide. Psychological review , 117 (2), 575.
