According to Emile Durkheim, what is the cause of suicide?

The correct option is: It is influenced by social causes.

Emile Durkheim, a pioneering French sociologist, presented his groundbreaking theory of suicide in his 1897 book, Suicide. Before Durkheim's study, suicide was predominantly viewed as an individual psychological issue, a result of mental illness, or a biological anomaly. Durkheim challenged these views by demonstrating that suicide rates are heavily influenced by social factors rather than just individual psychology.

Durkheim's analysis revealed that suicide rates vary systematically across different social groups and environments. He argued that suicide is a "social fact"—a phenomenon that exists outside the individual and exerts coercive power over them. According to his theory, the primary causes of suicide lie in the relationship between the individual and society, which he categorized into two major social forces:
1. Social Integration: How well individuals are connected to their society and social groups. Too little integration leads to egoistic suicide (feeling isolated or detached), while too much integration leads to altruistic suicide (sacrificing oneself for a group, like a kamikaze pilot).
2. Social Regulation: The control that society exerts over individual desires and behaviors. Too little regulation leads to anomic suicide (occurring during times of rapid economic or social change when rules break down), while too much regulation leads to fatalistic suicide (occurring under extreme oppression, like slavery).

By showing that suicide rates fluctuate based on social integration and regulation, Durkheim proved that suicide is deeply influenced by social causes rather than being a purely personal or biological phenomenon.