Hardly any other topic has been as controversial and causes such uneasiness within society as suicide. When people use their free will and the principles of self-determination to kill themselves, this poses challenges for the social environment and the professional support system. Whether people should be ethically and legally allowed to commit suicide or whether they should be prevented from doing so against their will are questions that have preoccupied humanity for decades and are the focus of this master's thesis. Within the ethical debate, both perspectives are shown that view suicidality as neutral and a form of free will, as well as perspectives that are critical of these views and advocate that the self-determination of individuals be restricted in order to save their lives . These considerations are also the focus of the group discussion, which represents the empirical research part of this master's thesis. Six professionals from the fields of social work, social education, psychology, psychotherapy and psychiatry are interviewed about their ethical attitude towards suicidality and suicide prevention measures. The results of the group discussion show that personal attitudes have a major influence on working with suicidal people. The professionals would like to see the taboos surrounding suicidality removed from society and politics and thereby bring more openness and understanding to the topic. This is the only way to no longer stigmatize suicidal people, to illustrate the need for suicide prevention measures and to expand suicide prevention offerings.
Date of Award | Sept 2024 |
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Original language | German (Austria) |
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Supervisor | Dagmar Strohmeier (Supervisor) |
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Mein Leben, meine Entscheidung?! : Die Bedeutung der ethischen Grundhaltung von Professionist:innen im Kontext von Suizid und Suizidpräventionsmaßnahmen.
Oberhuber, D. (Author). Sept 2024
Student thesis: Master's Thesis