altruistic suicide
one of four types of suicide proposed in 1897 by Émile Durkheim, involving the belief that killing oneself will serve a greater societal good by saving others from suffering or otherwise benefiting them. Examples include suicides required by social norms (e.g., the act of Sati in India) and those in which people give their lives to save their friends (e.g., covering an explosion to protect fellow soldiers in combat). Whereas Durkheim considered egoistic suicide a function of deficient integration into social groups, he viewed altruistic suicide as resulting from excessive social integration. Indeed, altruistic suicide is generally committed by members of highly integrated groups: Individuals experience such great loyalty or identification with the rules and values of the group as to view death as an obligation or honorable sacrifice. See also anomic suicide; fatalistic suicide.