Psychological Aposematism: An Evolutionary Analysis of Suicide

Wiley, James Christopher

doi:10.31234/osf.io/q3vu4

Cited by 2 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The model put forward by Syme et al (2016) states that suicide is not adaptive-rather, the suicide attempt is the adaptive behaviour, it being risky but potentially conveying sincerity and thus having worthwhile payoffs. As an addition, Wiley (2020) argues that suicide itself could boost the perceived sincerity of less-risky suicidal behaviour from others. For example, if suicide is extremely common in a society, one may only have to threaten (as apposed to attempt) suicide to receive sympathy.…”

Section: Reverse Causality: Suicidality As An Outcome Of Relationship...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For sake of clarity, one can refer to the specific theory specified by Syme et al (2016;Syme & Hagen, 2019b) as the bargaining model of suicide. The term signalling perspective will encompass any broad discussion wherein suicidality is suggested to be communicative behavior (e.g., Stengel, 1952;Rosenthal, 1993;Wiley, 2020).…”

Section: Reverse Causality: Suicidality As An Outcome Of Relationship...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From Soper's (2017Soper's ( , 2018Soper's ( , 2019Soper's ( , 2021 pain and brain model, extreme relationship-seeking in BPD could be perceived as an outcome of suicidality. From the signalling perspective (Stengel 1952;Syme et al, 2016;Rosenthal 1993;Wiley 2020), suicidality could be seen as an outcome of the relationship-seeking-nature of BPD.…”

Section: Reverse Causality: Suicidality As An Outcome Of Relationship...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Suicidality in individuals with BPD is often precipitated by fear of separation or rejection (Brodsky et al, 2006;Stanley & Siever, 2010). At first glance this may appear as a bargaining tactic, designed to rekindle a dying relationship (Stengel 1952;Syme et al, 2016;Rosenthal 1993;Wiley 2020). Alternatively, this paper suggests suicidality is a cause of extreme relationship-seeking behaviour in BPD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is suicidality an outcome or a cause of extreme relationship-seeking in borderline personality disorder?

Wiley¹

2022

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Previous theory proposes that humans perceive ordinary objects and experiences as beautiful, which motivates the pursuit of life. This quality is crucial among organisms that are cognitively capable of understanding that they can end their own suffering through self-killing (i.e., suicide). This paper argues that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by an inability to find beauty in ordinary experiences, which results in increased susceptibility to suicide. Accordingly, individuals with BPD pursue meaningful relationships to supplement this deficiency. Thus, those with BPD are hypothesized to have increased emotional sensitivity to interpersonal contexts, but muted emotional responses to ordinary experiences that elicit awe or happiness in others (e.g., pictures of landscapes, poetry about nature, etc.). Suicidality in individuals with BPD is often precipitated by fear of separation or rejection. At first glance this may appear as a bargaining tactic, designed to rekindle a dying relationship. Alternatively, this paper suggests that a predisposition to suicide is causal of extreme relationship-seeking behaviour in BPD. Additionally, this theory suggests that those with BPD who do not meet the interpersonal criteria for the disorder may be at a heightened risk of suicidality, because they have fewer objects to derive beauty from.

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Section: Reverse Causality: Suicidality As An Outcome Of Relationship...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reverse Causality: Suicidality As An Outcome Of Relationship...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reverse Causality: Suicidality As An Outcome Of Relationship...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Is suicidality an outcome or a cause of extreme relationship-seeking in borderline personality disorder?

Wiley¹

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For sake of clarity, one can refer to the specific theory specified by Syme et al (2016;Syme & Hagen, 2019) as the bargaining model of suicide. The term signalling perspective will encompass any broad discussion wherein suicidality is suggested to be communicative behavior (e.g., Stengel, 1952;Rosenthal, 1993;Wiley, 2020). (p. 5)…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic using a pre-pandemic death rate model

Wiley¹

2023

Preprint

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A recent publication reports lower-than-expected or stabilized suicide rates across many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been proposed that these decreases and stabilizations in suicide rates are attributable to communities rallying together in difficult times. However, this claim conflicts with the finding that disorder-level anxiety and depression have increased during the pandemic. This brief commentary offers an alternative interpretation of these trends through Erwin Stengel’s theory that suicide attempts are often a means for reviving crumbling interpersonal or romantic relationships. Stengel suggests that a suicide attempt is an appeal to the value held by others of the attempter’s life. Accordingly, suicide will become rarer in times when the overall value of life within a society is lower, such as in times of war or genocide. This is because the reconciliatory power of suicide attempts diminishes in times when death is common. Stemming from this, Stengel made a specific prediction that increasing deathrates would correspond to dampening suicide rates. Factually, we have observed these exact trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, modern renditions of Stengel’s theory (i.e., the signalling perspective of suicide) emphasise the importance of social networks in the causation of suicide. The pandemic has been disruptive to people’s social networks (e.g., during quarantine periods), thus a dampening in suicide rates is expected. Naturally, the disintegration of social networks would be expected to cause distress—but the signalling perspective uniquely predicts that this will also cause a dampening in suicide rates.

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Psychological Aposematism: An Evolutionary Analysis of Suicide

Cited by 2 publications

References 29 publications

Is suicidality an outcome or a cause of extreme relationship-seeking in borderline personality disorder?

Is suicidality an outcome or a cause of extreme relationship-seeking in borderline personality disorder?

Predicting suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic using a pre-pandemic death rate model

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