one of four types of suicide proposed in 1897 by Émile Durkheim, involving the perception that one has failed to live up to the values and norms of society. Consequently, the individual withdraws from social groups and feels alienated from others. Thus lacking the social integration Durkheim viewed as essential to a healthy, meaningful life, the person becomes overwhelmed by independence and ultimately takes his or her own life. See also altruistic suicide; anomic suicide; fatalistic suicide.