Within psychology, a lot of research has been done into the feeling of entrapment and how that relates to suicidal ideation, eventually leading to suicidal behavior. One of the two leading theories of suicide is the integrated motivational-volitional model of suicide (IMV; O’Connor et al., 2018) – the other leading theory of suicide is the interpersonal theory of suicide (Joiner et al., 2009), which belongs to my thesis director, Thomas Joiner. Despite entrapment’s relationship with suicide being the core of the IMV model, not a lot of research has been conducted on how the desire to escape relates to suicide (i.e. when one feels trapped, it is human nature to want to escape).
I believe that on a very basic level my work/academic voice is contributing to the shift of generational influence over science, alongside all of the other young researchers exploring topics/concepts interest them due to their own unique experiences. Specific to what I’m studying in psychology, [I think that] for future generations escapism is going to play a bigger role in the development of suicidality and underlying mental illnesses. In my opinion, this is primarily due to the influx of consumerism and mass consumption of social media – because the internet we are connected; because the internet we are disconnected (see Durkheim, 1897).
Once I complete my honors project, if I were to want to publish my study, I would want to place a greater emphasis on the factors unique to the 21st century (mass consumerism, social media, environmental crises, etc.) are contributing to more and more people becoming detached from reality and wanting an escape from it – suicide obviously being the more permanent and consequential form of escape. And this isn’t to say that all forms of escapism are maladaptive in nature – the concept of escapism was conceptualized on a continuum for a reason; there are a number of studies that look at running as a form of escapism (Stenseng et al., 2012). Even substances – another very consequential form of escapism – are being used in clinical trials (psylocibin, MDMA, etc.) to facilitate confrontation and acceptance of reality, as opposed to escape from it.
Generally speaking, myself and [assumedly] all other people conducting suicidology research want to promote mental health awareness and decrease the stigma of suicide – this was a primary reason I chose to take on the honor’s project endeavor. In my opinion, even seeing recruitment flyers for research on suicidality has an effect of lessening the stigma surrounding suicide. Furthermore, I hope that, as a product of my recruitment process, it sparks curiosity in those that engage in the advertisements for my study (even those who aren’t eligible [i.e. not a part of any marginalized group]) to look into the suicide disparity for minorities and consider if they’re contributing to the problem, directly or indirectly or not at all. Besides furthering diversity research that eventually is used to synthesize new interventions – which is very important to me, as it directly affects me – I hope that my research promotes people to prioritize incorporating more empathy and awareness into their lives. No one is ever going to fully understand or know what someone else is going through, however that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to empathize and connect with other humans.
Durkheim, E. (1897). Suicide, a study in sociology (1951 Edition, J. A. Spaulding, & G. Simpson, Trans.).
Joiner, T. E., Jr., Van Orden, K. A., Witte, T. K., & Rudd, M. D. (2009). The interpersonal theory of suicide: Guidance for working with suicidal clients. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11869-000
O’Connor, R. C., & Kirtley, O. J. (2018). The integrated motivational–volitional model of suicidal behaviour. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 373(1754), 20170268–20170268. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0268
Stenseng, F., J. Rise, and P. Kraft. 2012. “Activity Engagement as Escape from Self: The Role of Self-Suppression and Self-Expansion.” Leisure Sciences 34 (1): 19–38. doi:10.1080/01490400.2012.633849.
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