Question

The Jonestown massacre of 1978 in the United States saw the death of 900 persons including children. Reverend Jones, leader of an American cult, ordered his followers ‘The Peoples Temple’ to kill a US Congressman and several journalists and then commit mass suicide by drinking fruit punch laced with cyanide. In Durkheim’s view, this would be a case of

• A. anomic suicide.
• B. altruistic suicide.
• C. egoistic suicide.
• D. fatalistic suicide.

Hint:

According to Durkheim, suicide committed for the sake of a group, ideology, or collective belief system is classified as altruistic suicide.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding Durkheim’s types of suicide.
Émile Durkheim classified suicide into four types: egoistic, altruistic, anomic, and fatalistic. Altruistic suicide occurs when individuals are excessively integrated into a social group and sacrifice their lives for the group’s perceived ideals or commands.
Step 2: Analyzing the Jonestown incident.
In the Jonestown massacre, followers of Reverend Jones were deeply committed to the cult and obeyed the leader’s command to end their lives. Their actions were driven by extreme group loyalty and submission to collective authority.
Step 3: Eliminating other options.
Anomic suicide arises from normlessness, egoistic suicide from weak social integration, and fatalistic suicide from excessive regulation. None of these fully explain the mass suicide carried out in the name of collective belief and devotion.
Step 4: Conclusion.
Since the deaths occurred due to excessive social integration and devotion to the group’s ideology, Durkheim would classify the Jonestown massacre as altruistic suicide.
Final Answer: (B) altruistic suicide