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Suicide (Evolutionary Clinical Psychology)

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Self-harm; self-injury

Introduction

Suicidal behavior is a universal human phenomenon. Globally, suicide accounts for more deaths than all wars and homicides combined (Lozano et al. 2013). However, evolutionary theorists have for many decades largely overlooked suicidal behavior reasonably regarding the act as pathological or a byproduct of other mechanisms. However, given the universality and commonality of suicidal behavior, self-destructive behavior in all its forms is worth investigating from an evolutionary perspective. Two promising evolutionary theories of suicidal behavior are the inclusive fitness model (1981, 1984, 1991, 1995) and the bargaining model (Syme et al. 2016).

The Inclusive Fitness Model

The inclusive fitness model of suicide, developed by psychologist Denys deCatanzaro, takes an adaptationist view suicide wherein willful self-destruction is a means of increasing one’s inclusive fitness. According to the model, suicide will be adaptive when an individual...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA

    Kristen Syme

Authors
  1. Kristen Syme
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Correspondence to Kristen Syme .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada

    Doug P. VanderLaan

  2. Child, Youth and Family Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Doug P. VanderLaan

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Syme, K. (2018). Suicide (Evolutionary Clinical Psychology). In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3781-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3781-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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