The Correlation between Lottery-Winning and Suicides

Last Updated: 14 Nov 2022
Pages: 6 Views: 97

In the UK, the National Lottery can lead to a man winning millions of pounds. But the question is if it could also push someone to commit suicide or at least cause them to think about committing suicide. However, there are various sociological variables and factors that need to be considered, such as the socio-economic background or the stability of the individual, before the question of whether the lottery contributes to suicidal tendencies or not can be answered. Theoretical and sociological theories and arguments will be analyzed and used to support the arguments for and against this question.

In particular, the research and theories formulated and conducted by Emile Durkheim will play an integral role in responding to this question. Emile Durkheim was a well-known sociologist who deeply researched the nature of suicide and even wrote a published book about it in 1951 titled "Suicide: Studies in Sociology". He theorized that "every disturbance of balance... gives impetus to voluntary death" (Suicide, p. 271). "The causal factor is thus not to be found in the material circumstances themselves, but in the social unrest they create" (www.academicdb.com). This statement implies that it is not necessarily the material effect that the Lottery has that leads to suicide, but the radical impact it has on the social environment as a result of the radical changes it brings to human life. So a sudden increase in wealth, such as winning the National Lottery, can lead to "social declassification".

For example, a National Lottery winner is likely to move to a bigger house in a new area and therefore surround themselves with completely new people, new atmosphere and surroundings. Everything changes and this can lead to "anomie suicide". Durkheim came up with the theory of 'Anomic Suicide'. The word anomy comes from the Greek meaning lawlessness. Webster's Dictionary defines it as social instability that results from a breakdown of standards and values. It flourishes wherever there is a "collapse of the rules and conventions which pose realistic limits on the desires, expectations and aspirations of the fated individual" (www. Academicdb.com). Therefore the individual can effectively do whatever they want but as Durkheim states, they must have something clear to strive for (goals). They cannot advance if there are no goals or if goals are infinity (www.d.umn.edu).

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People that are freed from constraints become "slaves to their passions, and as a result, according to Durkheim's view, commit a wide range of destructive acts, including killing themselves in greater numbers than they ordinarily would" (Ritzer, p92). Therefore the evidence suggests that people need limits and rules in their everyday lives as this provides a socially stable framework for them to live in and have goals, desires and aspirations. Without these, a person may have nothing important or worthwhile to live for. Winning the National Lottery can create a sense of isolationism as the winner can be separated from friends and family. This could happen if the winner relocated into a new environment therefore distancing themselves from their friends and family. They could also attract new family and friends who could be defined as being 'false' as their interests are in the money and not the friendship. For instance, there have been regular cases of distant or estranged relatives suddenly and unexpectantly appearing out of the blue when hearing of a family member's recent fortunes.

Eventually the individual may not be able to distinguish their genuine friends from the 'false' ones. They may then isolate themselves from all of them or just accept the realisation that some of their friends are only really interested in what the winner can do for them and not the winner themselves. As there has also been an abrupt growth in the power and wealth, the "scale is upset" (www.d.umn.edu - on Durkheim). "Drastic change is abnormal" and therefore the individual may not be able to handle such a big change in such a short amount of time. Consequently when a relatively ordinary person in terms of wealth becomes extremely wealthy overnight, the immediate effects it has on their lives will be enormous and they may not be prepared for such a drastic change. There may also be too much pressure on the individual. There are family members, friends as well as financial advisors, all of whom have conflicting and competing interests. This can lead to tension and stress as well as a moral dilemma for the individual as a result of them having to decide between whom they should listen to and take advice from.

This could eventually manifest itself into a form of guilt and hostility towards these people and loved ones. For this reason, the lottery can create an uncomfortable situation for the winner who would otherwise not have had to make such important decisions and choices. This could create an unhealthy and depressed state of mind for the individual that could eventually lead to suicidal tendencies. However, it can be argued that it is not winning the lottery that leads to people committing suicide, but various socio-economic factors and variables that are the real causes of suicide. For instance, whether or not the individual was beaten as a child or if he/she came from a single parent family are important factors that must be taken into account as they play a key role in shaping a person's mind. The individual could also have been psychologically unstable in the first place.

Therefore suicide can not be proved to be directly related to winning the lottery as the person's psychological state of mind before winning is a key determinant. Important factors such as age can have an integral role in whether or not the National Lottery promotes suicidal tendencies. For instance, a young lottery winner is more likely to be susceptible and vulnerable to the pressures and media attention that winning a lottery brings with it. They may also decide to drop out of school or university and therefore have no education to fall back on if or when the winnings run out, leaving them in a position that could result in further drastic changes to their everyday lives. This could occur if the winner has to relocate to a less wealthy area disrupting their already frantic lives. Another aspect is that in general, lottery winnings do not actually are not actually large amounts of money taking into account inflation and rising taxes through National Insurance contributions and excise duties.

But a young winner could be more 'reckless' and excessive with their money than they should be. In the long run, this could be extremely damaging to their account balance. Whereas an older winner who for instance is middle aged, is more likely to be reserved with their money and do more sensible things with it such as investing it. However it can also be argued that despite Durkheim's theory that we must have "something clear to strive for (goals)" and that we "cannot advance if there are no goals or if goals are infinity", winning the National Lottery can actually lead to happiness. This can occur as it provides the winner with a sense of financial stability.

This can lead to reduced levels of stress and tension as they no longer have to worry about money troubles too much. They may also gain some satisfaction from the gifts they can provide loved ones with which can produce a sense of pleasure. It also provides them with opportunities for goals they may otherwise not have been able to achieve. Therefore winning the lottery does not promote suicidal tendencies as it can lead to new and exciting possibilities that were not available before. An example is the lottery winner who built a racetrack and then crashed a large amount of cars for purely entertainment purposes. It brought him a huge amount of happiness and fulfilled his dreams which he may otherwise have not been able to achieve. Winning the National Lottery provides the winners with materialistic pleasures and often leads to a better lifestyle in terms of housing and luxuries.

Materialism can therefore have a positive effect on an individual's wants and needs. It would therefore be logical to assume that having materialistic desires fulfilled would not promote suicidal tendencies. Looking at the evidence obtained and in particular Durkheim's perspective and theories, it would appear that winning the lottery can promote suicidal tendencies. His theory of Anomic Suicide in which there is a breakdown of standards and values and that people need to strive for goals, otherwise they become "slaves to their passions" which results in a higher rate of suicide seems to be logical and rational. It makes sense that if people don't have goals or any external constraints on their lives, they cannot advance as there are no real limits on their desires and aspirations. Another interesting point he made was how "drastic change is abnormal" and that people cannot handle large changes in such a short amount of time as a result of the social instability that winning the lottery creates.

Although, an important point that must be taken into account is the individual's psychological state of mind before winning the lottery. Socio-economic factors and childhood history have key roles in shaping a person's mind and are therefore very important when answering this question. After taking these perspectives and arguments into account, it would be logical to assume that winning the lottery does not necessarily promote suicidal tendencies unless they were partially there in the first place. Winning the lottery simply brings out these tendencies but does not create them. With a few rare exceptions, a socially and psychologically stable person who wins the lottery is highly unlikely to commit suicide. Background factors would have to come into it and therefore although winning the lottery cannot create suicidal tendencies, it can promote them.

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The Correlation between Lottery-Winning and Suicides. (2022, Nov 14). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/the-correlation-between-lottery-winning-and-suicides/

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