Altruistic suicide

Suicide
Social aspects ACEs Altruistic Bullying List of suicides attributed to bullying Copycat Dysfunctional family Emotional isolation Epidemic Identity performance Legislation Loneliness Philosophy Religious views Right to die School bullying Shame Social alienation Social defeat Social exclusion Social invisibility Social isolation Social rejection Social media and suicide Social support Toxic workplace Voluntary euthanasia Workplace bullying
Crisis Assessment of risk Beck Hopelessness Scale Crisis hotline (list) IS PATH WARM? SAD PERSONS scale Intervention Prevention Suicide attempt Suicide watch
Types and methods Assisted Bullying and suicide (list) Cop Copycat Euthanasia device Familicide Forced Hanging Honor Jauhar Jumping Mass Murder–suicide Pact Internet Pilot Poisoning Prayopavesa Prisoner suicide Rail Sallekhana Sati Self-sacrifice Senicide Complex Seppuku Sokushinbutsu Suicide attack Suicide bag Vatakkiruttal Vehicle collision
Epidemiology Gender differences LGBTQ people Mormon Methods People with autism Rate by country Seasonal effects Suicidal person Youth mental health crisis Youth suicide
History List of suicides A–M N–Z LGBTQ suicides Suicide in antiquity List of suicides in the 21st century
In warfare Banzai charge Kamikaze Suicide mission
Related phenomena Anguish Alcoholism Anhedonia Animal loss Anxiety disorder Asperger syndrome Autism spectrum Conditions comorbid to autism Biology of depression Epigenetics of depression Causes of mental disorders Chronic condition Chronic pain Coping Coping planning Depression (mood) Diseases of despair Diseases of poverty Echo chamber Existential crisis Financial crisis Grief suicide bereavement Ideation Interpersonal relationships Locations Major depressive disorder Mental disorder Mental health first aid Neurodevelopmental disorder Non-suicidal self-injury Perfectionism Personal finance Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Poverty Psychological first aid Psychological stress Psychological trauma Schizophrenia Self-harm Self-hatred Substance abuse Suffering Suicidal ambivalence Suicide and the Internet Suicide and trauma Suicide awareness Suicide in colleges in the United States Suicide in music subcultures Suicide note Suicide survivor Suicide terminology Suicide tourism Suicidology Warning signs of suicide
By country Rate by country Afghanistan Australia Bangladesh Cameroon Canada China France Greenland India Iran Ireland Japan Lesotho Lithuania Nepal Pakistan Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom United States
Organizations Compassion & Choices Death with Dignity National Center Dignitas Exit International Final Exit Network Hemlock Society

Altruistic suicide is the sacrifice of one's life in order to save or benefit others, for the good of the group, or to preserve the traditions and honor of a society. It is always intentional. Benevolent suicide refers to the self-sacrifice of one's own life for the sake of the greater good. Such a sacrifice may be performed for the sake of executing a particular action, or for the sake of keeping a natural balance in the society.

Altruistic suicide was described by Émile Durkheim in his book Suicide: A Study In Sociology and occurs when social values and interests overwhelm the individual's interest in self-preservation. Altruistic suicide is one of four categories of suicide described by Durkheim, alongside egoistic suicide, fatalistic suicide, and anomic suicide.

In contrast, a "sacrifice" which is committed by the force of a state is referred to as eugenics or mass murder, but may be otherwise referred to as "enforced population limits" or "population control". In literature, examples may promote the concept as a means for ending enduring types of social conflict, or else deride the concept as an example of a dystopian future society.