| Abstract: | ABSTRACT: This paper proposes the adoption of a macro level analysis of cultural data by sociologists engaged in suicide studies. It is asserted that an examination of cultural factors contributing to individual stress and of cultural phenomena undergoing rapid change can lead to (1) a clearer understanding of the suicidal individual in his cultural context and (2) the development of suicide prevention programs aimed at alleviating the affects of societal stress. An analysis of the data relating to the correlation between the percentage of white women in the labor force and suicide rates is presented as an example of the application of the suggested approach. |
