This book is a canonized text in sociology that still remains relevant in the study of suicide. It is one of the earliest empirical studies of a social occurrence; although some might argue that making the decision to end one's life is private and individual. However, Durkheim's study shows that society influences this seemingly personal action, and social factors determine who commits suicide and who does not. At this juncture it is important to clearly define suicide; Durkheim's initial definition of suicide was; ""suicide" is any death which is the immediate or eventual result of a positive (e.g., shooting oneself) or negative (e.g., refusing to eat) act accomplished by the victim himself" (Durkheim, 1897) . However, according to Johnson, 1965 this definition was problematic for Durkheim as it does not differentiate between a mentally ill person who cannot comprehend the consequences of their actions and jumps from an upper story window; and the lucid individual who does the same thing knowing that it will lead to his death. As a result Durkheim's final definition was: Suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result. .
In Part I of his study, Durkheim states and dismisses argument proposing that psychopathology, race, and heredity are determinants of changing suicide rates. He also posits that geography, changes in climate, and "imitation" can cause changing rates of suicide. His method of comparing empirical data over influenced the way sociology is studied inn contemporary classes. Durkheim examined the multivariate elements including country, marital status, religion, and level of education to explain variations in suicide rates. His study resulted in the following conclusions:.
• Men are more prone to commit suicide than women.
• People who are married have higher suicide rates than single people.
