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Articles: Arts and Culture | Culture and Civilization-4 (Interesting One)
- Mr. Vachaspati V.
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This topic, I believe, is more interesting one. But it could be very difficult to understand. Hence please read it with little bit more attention. If necessary, take this text print.
Social laws are two types: 1) Repressive and 2) Restitutive.
1) Repressive law is an expression of traditional customs, beliefs and sanctions of a society and is blindly adhered to under threats of punishment. The social solidarity in this form is called as Mechanical Solidarity. This mechanical solidarity is maintained by hereditary right, is found in primitive, undifferentiated societies, which are organized on totality of beliefs and sentiments common to all members of the group. The group mindset in these types of societies is collective type.
2) Restitutive law, on the other hand, stresses restitution instead of punishment and affects only certain segments of the group at any one time. Its function is to perceive the status quo, not to inflict punishment for crime against the communities. Restitutive law is an indication of organic society. Here organic solidarity is based on the cooperation of specialised individuals.
Where the restitutive law predominates, the society is organised on the basis of specialised difference, in which solidarity rests on a system of difference, in which solidarity rests on a system of different, special functions with definite unity. Since mechanical solidarity rests on the absorption of individuals into a totality of common beliefs and sentiments, it is achieved at the price of individual personality. Organic solidarity, on the other hand, rests on the assertion of that which is personal and distinct in the individuals, but it must not be less upon society. The exact opposite in this case, for increased specialisation (Assertion of individual differences) results in need for greater inter dependence, and society supplies rules for regulating the necessary relations between individuals. This type of social solidarity, like the unity of organism, is as great as the individualism of the parts is more marked.
As the society increased in size and complexity, the social tasks could no longer be the same for every one. In other words, a division of labour came into being and the differentiation of social tasks also caused diversification of values and emotions. It was that individualism could begin to assert itself. Certain personality broke away from tradition and mechanical solidarity, and became the first political leader. This happened in case of Viswamitra, Budha and Mahavira.
With rise of complexity of the society individualism emerges. The change from homogeneous to heterogeneous was, thus, explained as an interaction between social and individual factors. Individualism was not a personal pursuit of happiness or a decision to banish religion, but an almost necessary development the growth of society. The ultimate cause of change was the natural increase in population that brought about an increased moral density. This was not merely a matter of large numbers, but also related to degree of communication. If communication increases, people will also have to cooperate more. If populations also increase in number, the communicating and cooperating segments will differentiate from other such segments.
Any person with little applicative mind can notice them.
The purpose of this article is that there are number of suicides in the society. Everywhere in every newspaper we observe several such suicides. In fact, suicides are some pathological situations and circumstances of the society. There is connection between above stated solidarities and suicides are too abstract to observe. But they are real.
There are three types of suicides.
1) Altruistic suicides.
2) Egoistic suicides.
3) Anomic suicides
Altruistic suicides are associated with extreme mechanical solidarity, where the collective attachments and pressure are so strong that the individual life becomes relatively unimportant. An example of the altruistic suicide in Indian context was, during the ancient times, the Sati. Another famous example is, Kamakashi attacks by Japanese aircraft pilots during Second World War. In this War, the aircraft pilots directly the American war ships killing both pilots and sinking the battle ship. In this way, Japan sunk almost 200 American ships. This is a suicide meant that is voluntary.
Observing political, religions and family life can explain egoistic suicide. This kind of suicides is significant relationship with that of social institutions. Married persons have lower rate than unmarried and parents have lower rate than childless couple. The parents of large families have the lowest rate of all. In the field of religion, the people who things freely commit more suicides than the religious people. Because they have no shelter to take refuge for their grievances. Religion acts like a refuge shelter when an individual is in troubles. Even after getting married a women still failed to pregnant the societal pressure may leads to suicide.
Anomic suicide was the type that predominated in societies with organic solidarity. It is increased in terms of social stress and unrest. This type of suicide was related to the pressure of strong individualism, which often gave rise to social expectations that could not be realized. The increase in anomic suicide rates revealed the pathological aspects of modern society, which in turn were related to lack of integration of the individual with his society. In modern societies, neither religion, nor state, or family could provide a context of integration in modern societies. This situation results in ‘Anomie. Anomie means simply the weakening or disruption of conscience collective. The conscience collective means the system of social norms, which reflects a commonality of beliefs, sentiments and feeling. It is a disastrous freedom from social constraint, where individual can find no direction or meaning to life.
Suicide cannot be regarded as abnormal, because it is a phenomenon invariably associated with all societies. The virtues of social solidarity (altruism), individuality (egoism) and flexibility (anomie).
In the present society, altruistic current of suicides has not increased.
Egoistic and anomic currents of suicide have shown a great increase and can alone be considered melancholic. In both the cases, the underlying cause is a weakening of social solidarity due to rapid expansion and differentiation of a revolutionised economic structure. The old institutions, family, political state, religion are not meeting the needs of the individuals effectively.
With wishes/regards.
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