Research On Cultural Anomie’s Impact On Suicides In Rural China

As a typical anomie behavior, suicides in rural area are closely related to rural cultural environment. With the advancement of modernization, the rural culture is in a state of anomie. This paper attempts to study the suicides in rural Z county taking the social action theory as the analytical framework, and studies the culture’s influence on the suicides from the dimensions of personal values, family ethics culture and social moral culture, in order to rich the suicide theory in China.This research adapts the method of literature study and the method of field research. The researcher has already read the research achievements on suicides, and has gained suicide data, typical suicide cases, rural cultural characteristics, people’s values and behavior habits, local folk custom of Z county through depth interviews and surveys. Based on the field study of Z county, the researcher tries to summarize the suicide theory in rural area with empirieal materials.This paper takes "theory--experience validation--theory and suggestion" as research ideas, and analyses the influence rural culture in a state of anomie on eight different types of suicides in rural area from three aspects----the personal values, family ethics culture, social moral culture.This paper argues that rural culture influence the suicides by suicidal motivation and the concrete situation of suicides. Under the background of culture anomie, the suicide is a relative effective behavior way of achieving a particular purpose. There are three affecting approaches:firstly, the traditional rural traditional culture reinforces some suicides of the elderly and women; secondly, the opposition between two cultures causes all sorts of contradictions and conflicts, and leads to new types of suicides; lastly, the modern culture reduces a part of traditional suicides. Therefore this paper forecasts that although some traditional types of suicides have being decreased, other types of suicides are increasing. The suicide rate will not be significantly lower in the near future, and rebuilding the rural culture is the necessary measure of reducing suicides.