Killing Yourself the Right Way: Socio-cultural Suicide, Self-Transcendence and Ego-Dissolution as Substitutes for Biological Suicide

The paper argues that certain socio-cultural practices—such as extreme sports, religious rituals, or artistic endeavors—can serve as symbolic or metaphorical forms of suicide that fulfill the same psychological needs as biological suicide without ending one's life. These practices involve self-transcendence and ego-dissolution, offering a way to escape the self or achieve a sense of death-like release. The authors suggest that understanding these substitutes could provide alternative pathways for individuals experiencing suicidal ideation, potentially reducing the risk of actual suicide by channeling the drive toward self-annihilation into culturally sanctioned, non-lethal experiences.

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Abstract

Killing Yourself the Right Way: Socio-cultural Suicide, Self-Transcendence and Ego-Dissolution as Substitutes for Biological Suicide