Never a \u27needless\u27 suicide: An empirical test of Shneidman\u27s theory of psychological needs, psychological pain, and suicidality (Edwin Shneidman).

The phenomenology of suicidal thoughts and behaviour has been an area of increased interest in recent years. One particular area of focus is psychological pain, or psychache. In this dissertation, Edwin Shneidman\u27s psychological theory of suicide was studied. Shneidman has theorized that psychological needs are associated with the development of psychological pain, which in turn leads to suicide as an escape from pain. Two hundred and fifty-seven undergraduate students completed the Personality Research Form, the Psychache Scale, the Orbach and Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale, two items from Shneidman\u27s Psychological Pain Assessment Scale, as well as demographic and suicide history items. Measures of psychological pain demonstrated convergent validity. Low need for affiliation and high impulsivity were significantly related to psychological pain. All measures of psychological pain were associated with suicidal ideation and history of suicide attempts. Possible gender differences emerged. This study provides some evidence for Shneidman\u27s theory, although not all identified needs were supported. The importance of understanding the role of psychological pain in the phenomenology of suicidal thinking and behaviour is emphasized.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2005 .D375. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-11, Section: B, page: 6267. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2005

Suicidality among individuals with schizophrenia: The interaction of personality and known risk factors.

The rate of completed suicide among individuals with schizophrenia is very high: 10% across the lifespan, compared to 1% in the population as a whole. The focus of the literature in this area has been on clinical and demographic risk factors. Two specific known risk factors are social isolation and high premorbid achievement. The present study hypothesized that high levels of two personality traits, Extraversion and Achievement Striving, interact with these factors to increase or decrease the risk for suicide. The predicted pattern was not supported. However, individuals who were low on Extraversion and low on Achievement Striving had higher ratings of suicide risk. Future research should focus on exploring the link between personality and suicide, both among individuals with schizophrenia, and in the general population.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1997 .D38. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 37-01, page: 0364. Adviser: Michael J. Kral. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1997