Enfranchising grief following suicide: A case study of an Israeli social organization

Abstract

Researchers have yet to explore suicide survivors activities in social organizations, which was the present purpose. I studied an Israeli organization, Path to Life, by interviewing 16 members, attending 11 events, and examining media, online, and print information. Although mainly comprised of activists whose loss occurred in civilian circumstances, frame analysis revealed that the organization emphasizes connections between suicide and esteemed military-related death. By relying on a legitimate model of dealing with death, the activists provided meaning to suicide and promoted a sociocultural change through drawing attention to a silenced death, upgrading the suicide victims' status, and enfranchising survivors' grief.