Durkheim's concept of egoistic suicide is associated with which condition?

• A. A high level of social integration
• B. A condition of underinvolvement or underintegration
• C. Economic recession
• D. Religious dissent

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how how connected a person is to their social world shapes Durkheim’s kinds of suicide. Egoistic suicide happens when someone is not adequately integrated into social groups—family, religious communities, or broader society. When social ties are weak, individuals can feel isolated, detached, and lacking a sense of belonging or meaning, which increases the risk of suicide.

So the condition most closely linked to egoistic suicide is underinvolvement or underintegration — a lack of strong social bonds. That’s different from relying on norms and structures being disrupted (anomic suicide), which happens during periods of upheaval or rapid change; or from excessive integration leading to self-sacrifice for a group (altruistic suicide). Religious dissent or economic downturn aren’t the defining factors on their own; the crucial factor is the level of social integration.