Community Attitudes Toward Suicide Richard A. Kalish, Ph.D.* David K. Reynolds, Ph.D. Norman L. Farberow, Ph.D. ABSTRACT: The study, treatment, and efforts at prevention of suicide take place within a cultural milieu, To date, however, emphasis has been placed ahnost entirely on the self-destructive in- dividual, his relevant health, and the mental health specialists. An ongoing study of death and bereavement in a cross-ethnic context in the Los Angeles area provided the means of exploring the attitudes of the general population regarding various aspects of suicide. The focus here is on the variables of age, sex, and education as they affect the views and experiences of 400 respondents on the subject of suicide. The person contemplating suicide, the recovered survivor of a suicide attempt, the family members of a publicized suicide, and the volunteers and professionals at a suicide prevention center all share one vi- tally important characteristic: They are functioning in a society that has es- tablished norms regarding the meaning of the act of suicide and the act of attempted suicide; with varying degrees of success they have been socialized to live in this society. The study, treatment, and efforts at prevention of suicide inevitably take place within a cultural milieu. These statements, albeit truisms and platitudes, are nonetheless, relatively ignored. The emphasis expressed both in the academic and nonacademic writing on suicide and in the treatment and prevention of self-destructive persons has been on the individual, his significant others and relevant health, and on the mental health specialists. Little if any comment is made regarding the community or the broader society within which these self- destructive acts and attempts to treat or prevent the self-destructive acts Occur. A search of the literature was conducted to determine whether any pre- vious study investigated the attitudes of the general population regarding various aspects of suicide. No such research was located, although items in- quiring about suicide and self-destructive behavior have been included in investigations of other phenomena and in unpublished surveys and polls (Shneidman, 1971). The authors took advantage of an ongoing study of death and bereave- ment in a cross-ethnic context to initiate exploration of this concern. * Dr. Kalish is connected with the Graduate Theological Union, 2465 Leconte Ave., Berkeley, California 94709. Dr. Reynolds is connected with the Department of Human Behavior, School of Medi- cine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles and Dr. Farberow is connected with the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center. This investigation was funded by a research grant from the Center for Studies of Suicide Preven- tion, NIMH (Grant Number MH 20822). Community Mental Health Journal, Vol. 10 (3), 1974 301