Abstract:

Suicidal behaviour is defined as acting on a desire to kill oneself or considering undertaking any such actions. Mainstream psychological studies focus on explaining the reasons behind suicide these studies consist of hypothesis testing or usage of experimental scientific methods. Although these studies analyze suicide as a straightforward cause-effect relationship, suicidal behaviours are multi-faceted phenomena. This study focuses on the meaning(s) behind suicidal behaviour for the individual, exploring how individuals engaging in suicidal ideation and behaviour regard themselves rather than explaining suicide. For this aim, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four university students who attempted suicide two years prior. Transcripts were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The IPA aims to explore in detail the participants’ personal lived experiences and how participants make sense of those personal experiences. Four main themes emerged from the data analysis: “Sense of control”, “The lack of people with whom the participant has a close relationship”, “Giving a message”, “Mother”. These themes have been discussed considering Lacanian Psychoanalytic perspectives and it is argued that all themes are strongly related to the Other and interpreted as acting out. In this context, participants who failed to convey their messages symbolically were thought to send their messages through their actions, that is, through their suicide attempts. The subject believes that the Other does not take notice of him in the symbolic order. The subject thus attempts to convey his message to the Other through his actions.

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