Suicide as a Dramatic Performance

Each suicide is as unique as the individuals involved, especially if one examines the nature of the act and to what extent these acts can be viewed as a theatrical performance. Focusing on the dramatic aspects of suicide may seem tangential to the physical and mental pain experienced by those who try to kill themselves, but dramatic aspects often provide important clues for understanding the mental state of suicidal individuals.David Lester and Steven Stack investigate what happens in the weeks, days and hours before a suicide when the suicidal individual must make decisions and formulate the script for his or her suicidal act. The editors argue that these choices may help us understand and prevent other suicides and stimulate new and innovative research in this important area.Through twenty-five substantive chapters, including both quantitative and qualitative analyses, this book offers insights into suicide as a dramatic act, with chapters on the intended audience, the suicide note, the location and method chosen, and cultural scripts, including suicide-by-cop, sati, seppuku, and duels. The contributors to this volume argue that psychological, social, and cultural factors influence these choices and that the decisions made by the individual are important for understanding the mental state of the person choosing to die by suicide.

Table of Contents:
1 Introduction David Lester & Steven Stack 2 Ritual, Dramatic Performance, and Suicide: An Anthropological Perspective Joseph Rubenstein Part 1. The Suicide Note 3 The Presentation of the Self in Suicide Notes 1 David Lester & Bijou Yang 4 Dramatic Suicide Notes David Lester 5 The Body as a Suicide Note David Lester 6 Suicide and the Communicative Condition: Audience and the Idea of Suicide Jermaine Martinez Part 2. The Location of the Suicidal Act 7 The Location of the Suicidal Act Steven Stack 8 Suicide Away from Home Steven Stack 9 Hotel Suicide and the Drug Subculture Steven Stack 10 Back to Nature: Suicide in Natural Areas Steven Stack 11 Suicide in the Grand Canyon National Park Steven Stack & Barbara Bowman 12 Suicide in Public David Lester 13 Suicide on Television and Online David Lester Part 3. The Methods Chosen for Suicide 14 The Methods Chosen for Suicide David Lester 15 The Rehearsal: Nonfatal Suicidal Behavior as a Precipitant of Suicide John F. Gunn III 16 Suicide by Fire: Ethnicity as a Predictor of Self-Immolation in the United States Steven Stack & Seth B. Abrutyn 17 Have Gun, Will Travel Steven Stack 18 Unusual Suicides Steven Stack 19 Methods of Suicide Around the World Steven Stack Part 4. Cultural Scripts for Suicide 20 Russian Roulette and Duels David Lester 21 Death by Seppuku David Lester 22 Self-Immolation as a Protest David Lester 23 Victim-Precipitated Homicide David Lester 24 Sati David Lester 25 Suicide as the Liberation of the Soul David Lester 26 Conclusion David Lester & Steven Stack About the Authors Senior Author Index Subject Index