Altruistic suicide

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Altruistic suicide is the sacrifice of one's life for a perceived benefit to another person or a group of people, or for the preservation of traditions and honor in their 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...

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