SOCL 3501 Midterm (Stevenson) new

suicide

- some threaten suicide; 40% attempted to kill themselves in the past

- suicide attempters ambiguous in their intent; most do NOT succeed

- many use the attempt as a means of achieving some objective in life and don't want to die

- 2/3 who commit suicide had prior attempt

Oregon's Death with Dignity Act

- requires a physician to prescribe medication

- must be self-administered

- diagnosed w/ terminal illness that will lead to death within 6 months

- not required to take meds once given

- doctors not required to write prescriptions

what are the three most frequently mentioned end-of-life concerns for physician assisted suicide?

1. decreasing ability to participate in activities that made life enjoyable

2. loss of autonomy

3. loss of dignity

heterosexual deviance

includes teen sex, extramarital sex, phone sex, nude dancing, sexual harassment, and prostitution

sex education

- abstinence only programs are not very successful

- education varies greatly from school to school

phone sex

- selling of a sexual fantasy

- the longer the call, the greater the profit

- 5 types of callers

inside the social structure and organization of cutting

- "individual deviants" vs. the "loners" or "loner deviants"

- cutters are more difficult to situate in one specific category of deviance

- constantly negotiating the boundaries of their new options and possibilities

are suicide rates higher in rural or urban areas?

- traditionally, rates higher in urban areas

- today, rates higher in rural areas

suicide bombers

- relatively well-off; middle class; better educated than their countrymen

- mostly young, male, and single

- see themselves as martyrs

- suicide attacks common throughout history

durkheimian theory

- social integration: involves persons attaching themselves to groups

- social regulation: involves individuals being coercively regulated by a group

Henry and Short theory

- interprets suicide as an act of aggression directed toward oneself

- results from three factors (sociological, psychological, economic)

theory of suicide process

- interprets the social meanings of suicide as a social prohibition against suicide

- so that the suicidal person must overcome the prohibition before taking his or her own life

who are among the most likely to cheat in the US?

- those who experienced premarital sex

- the less religious

- those of lower income

- those w/ liberal values

- men more likely than women

swingers

- couples swapping spouses for sex only

- less common than infidelity

- internet and sex clubs facilitate swinging couples

- mostly middle-class suburban whites

- resort to swinging to express liberation from social control

nude dancing

- another version of selling sexual fantasy

- some dancers earn a good wage

- many do not consider their work disreputable

- they often hide how they earn money

- some find the work empowering

who are the other participants in prostitution besides the prostitute?

1. the madam - the owner or manger of a brothel

2. the pimp - the "street" manager of prostitutes

3. the john - the prostitute's customer

self-injurers

- multiple reasons for these acts

- cutting (substantial variation in terms of function and form of cutting practices)

who has higher suicide rates?

- whites higher than blacks

- protestants higher than Catholics higher than Jews

- men higher than women

- women attempted suicide more than men

- men more likely to use lethal weapons (firearms)

- divorced persons highest, married lowest, single individuals in the middle

- rates rise w/ age

- findings on the relationship between social class and suicide are contradictory

what are some situational factors in suicide?

- teenagers more likely today than in past

- going to college associated w/ higher rates

- suicide in prison common

- people w/ fatal diseases have high rates (AIDS)

- mass media has an influence

- highly publicized suicides tend to result in national rates increasing

how do suicide rates fare around the world/throughout the year?

- suicide rates higher in industrialized countries

- in western countries, rates peak in the spring and bottom out in winter

- suicide occurs more often in the beginning of the week and very rarely on weekends

what are some social responses to suicide?

- when a loved on commit suicide, survivors tend to feel guilty

- patients have the right to refuse life-sustaining treatment (living will)

- several individuals and organizations try to prevent suicide

what are some sociological theories of suicide?

- causes of suicide do not reside within the individual but rather within the group to whom the individual belongs and the individual's interaction w/ agents of social institutions

phenomenological theories

- individuals impute specific meanings to their prospective suicidal acts

which state was the first to legalize physician assisted suicide?

Oregon in 1994

what were the typical patient characteristics for physician assisted suicide in 2015?

- 78% were 65+ (median was 73)

- typically white (93.1%)

- well-educated (43.1% had a bachelor's degree)

how do the end-of-life concerns for physician assisted suicide align with normal suicide?

- among white males 65+, being weak and dependent on others is not consistent w/ a masculine gender role

- especially for those who tend to be at the top of the status hierarchy

teen sex

- boys w/ high self-esteem more likely to engage in premarital sex

- girls w/ high self-esteem more likely to abstain

extramarital sex

- AKA adultery or infidelity

- involves a married person having sex w/ another person

- secrecy, tension, and guilt make it far from gratifying

- shaped by culture

pornography

- sexually explicit materials

- $8 billion/year industry

- effects are unclear

• some studies support the antiporn and feminist position that porn is dangerous

• others support the liberal position that porn is harmless

what are the 5 types of phone sex callers?

1. quick-sex callers who want a quick sex act

2. violent and angry callers

3. lonely, lovelorn callers who call the same operator and refrain from discussing sex

4. sexually progressive callers who are jealous of an operator's involvement w/ other men

5. likable callers who sound attractive and are able to raise an operator's interest

sexual harassment

- unwanted sexual advances in the workplace, regardless of its impact on salary or promotion

- about 1/2 of all working women have been sexually harassed at some point in their careers

prostitution

- the exchange of sex for money

- streetwalkers solicit customers on the street

- child and adolescent prostitutes

- house prostitutes work in brothels

- call girls use answering services and make out-calls

what are the social and sexual backgrounds of prostitutes?

- more normal than many believe

- most common reasons for becoming a prostitute are economic

- threat of disease is greater in poorer countries

- customers often refuse to wear condoms

what is the global perspective on causes of prostitution?

1. abject poverty

2. socialization into a subservient sex role

3. demand from tourists to some countries for sexual adventures

4. patriarchy, a social and cultural system that forces poor women to sell their bodies

functionalist theory

a system of morality causes prostitution to exist as a social institution

feminist theory

a patriarchal system encourages prostitution by creating the demand and supply for it

social-psychological theory

1. predisposing factors

2. attracting factors

3. precipitating factors

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