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Nero； for example； ordered an attendant to kill him。 Seneca was ordered by Nero to kill himself。 A
more modern example of Seneca’s plight is found in the Jonestown massacre which hundreds of
Jim Jones’ devotees were instructed to take their own lives。 Seppuku； or hara…kiri； was practically
obligatory for Japanese nobility and samurai when their failure caused loss or defeat for their
emperor or lord。 Are these all cases of suicide？ What about borderline cases of self…destruction；
such as neglecting medical advice or excessive risk…taking （e。g。； driving at high speeds；
volunteering for dangerous military missions； or excessive overeating）？ Even more plicated
than the definition of a mitted suicide is the definition of an attempted suicide。
3。 Students should take the Suicide Quiz。
4。 Next； the instructor should read through the 10 items and take a “hand count” of how many
students believe each item is true or false。 In actuality； all of the items are false and constitute
mon myths about suicide。
5。 Next； the instructor should review statistics on suicide rates； including differences according to
gender； age； race； socioeconomic status； and other variables。 Minimally； this discussion must
include the 10 items that pose the Suicide Quiz。 For example； the instructor might challenge the
class to explain why men are more likely to mit suicide than women （Question 2）； even though
women attempt suicide two or three times more often than men （Question 1）。 The answer lies in the
choice of method （Question 3）； men choose guns whereas women choose pills。 Alternatively； the
instructor might spend time countering the myth that people who periodically mention suicide are
not likely to mit it （Question 10）。 This could prove to be a transition for discussion of what to do
if a friend or family member has been talking about suicide。
6。 Students should take the Suicide Quiz once more； this time read aloud by the instructor with a
show of hands whether each item is true or false。 It should then bee apparent that all of the
items were myths； and the class has learned much about suicide since the beginning of the section。
PITFALLS TO AVOID
1。 Suicide is an intensely emotional subject； the greatest pitfall any discussion leader will face is
underestimating the impact this topic may have on certain students。 It may be appropriate to give
students advance warning of the topic and the option to excuse themselves。
2。 In order for the opening discussion to work well； a supportive tone must be set so that students feel
fortable sharing personal accounts。 The instructor may also want to make clear that this
information should not be shared with friends outside of the discussion group。
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3。 The instructor might mention this topic the week before and invite students who want to discuss
any personal experiences regarding suicide among family or friends to meet with him or her。
4。 It is important that there is no munication while students take the Suicide Quiz。
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
If there is substantial disagreement over the correct answers during the initial administration of the Suicide
Quiz； it may prove interesting to tabulate the percentage of students for each item who believe the correct
answer is true versus the percentage who believe the item is false。
DISCUSSION； EXTENSIONS； AND EXPERIMENTAL VARIATIONS
1。 We strongly remend acpanying the discussion with specific suggestions on how students
should respond to friends or family members at high risk of suicide。 If the instructor does not feel
qualified to lead such a discussion； it might be possible to bring in an outside “expert。”
2。 Of all the discussion sections； the one on suicide involved the least amount of direct research…for
good reasons。 What are some of the problems that face suicide researchers？ （Hint for students： The
annual American suicide rate is 12 out of every 100；000 people。）
3。 If the campus or munity operates a crisis telephone line； the instructor might arrange a field trip
for interested students to visit the facility or have a worker as a guest for the class。
4。 For instructors with some experience in counseling； one interesting variation is to have students
role…play callers who are contacting a suicide crisis line。 Either the instructor or a student could
role…play the telephone counselor； and the class could discuss what and what not to say to a person
who is having a crisis。 This technique works especially well if； after particularly interesting
episodes； the role…played action is “frozen” for detailed discussion。
5。 Discuss “copy…cat” suicides； the contagious effect of media on facilitating suicides。
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Alverez； A。 （1971）。 The savage God。 New York： Random House。
Barrington； M。 R。； & Hendin； H。 （1984）。 Can suicide be rational？ In J。 Rubinstein & B。 D。 Slife （Eds。）； Taking
sides： Clashing views on controversial social issues。 （3rd ed。）。 Guilford； CT Dushkin Publishing Group。
Phillips； D。 P。 （1986）。 Natural experiments on the effects of mass media violence on fatal aggression： Strengths and
weaknesses of a new approach。 In L。 Berkowitz （Ed。）； Advances in experimental social psychology （Vol。 19； pp。
207…250）。 Orlando； FL： Academic Press
Schneidman； E。 （1985）。 Definition of suicide； New York： Wiley
Schneidman； E。 （1987； March）。 At the point of no return。 Psychology Today pp。 54…58
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HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOWABOUT SUICIDE？
Circle the letter that indicates whether the following statements are true or false。
T F 1。 Men attempt suicide more often than women。
T F 2。 Women mit suicide more often than men。
T F 3。 Poisoning； by either pills or gas； is the most mon form of
suicide。
T F 4。 Minorities mit suicide more often than whites。
T F 5。 The higher the socioeconomic level； the lower the suicide rate。
T F 6。 After about 60 years of age； the suicide rate begins to decline
continuously。
T F 7。 Suicide rates for college students reached an all…time peak in
the 1960s and have declined somewhat since then。
T F 8。 Suicide rates are lower for people who are terminally ill than
for people who have illnesses with no end in sight。
T F 9。 Those people who never mention suicide are more likely to
actually mit the act than individuals who occasionally
discuss it。
T F 10。 One of the difficulties in predicting suicides is that they are
often mitted without warning。
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EVALUATION AND RESEARCH ETHICS
OBJECTIVES
1。 To acquaint students with the ethical issues surrounding research with human subjects。
2。 To consider the perspective of prospective investigators and the institutional review boards that are
designed to minimize or prevent harmful research procedures。
3。 To create a role…playing situation that vividly illustrates the review process for use of subjects in
research。
OVERVIEW
The same research procedures that can lead to helpful gains in knowledge may also represent a source of
danger to the individuals who serve as subjects。 The power of the researcher and of the scientific
establishment relative to that of their subjects has been balanced in recent years by the creation of
institutional review boards （IRBs）。 These peer review mittees have established evaluation procedures
that protect the welfare of human and animal subjects。 How does evaluation of the ethics of research
operate？ What is the process by which an individual investigator submits a research proposal to a
university IRB for its evaluation？ In this section we will：
1。 Begin by discussing instances of research with unacceptable risks and questionable ethics （see
Additional Resources）。
2。 Discuss the essential concepts of “at risk；” “invasion of privacy；” “deception；” “informed consent；”
“the gain/loss notion of relative ethics；” and the raising of consciousness about ethical
considerations。
3。 Briefly describe the review…evaluation procedure now required of prospective researchers in an
academic setting。
4。 Briefly describe the importance to society of promoting scientific progress and the career of the
individual researcher （in