Biblical narratives for positive psychology and suicide prevention: an evidence supported approach

ABSTRACT

Suicide is the ultimate outcome of a tragic view of life that is prevalent in ancient Greek writings. Indeed, over 16 suicides and self-mutilations can be found in the 26 surviving tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides. In contrast, only six suicides can be found in the Hebrew Scriptures, and only one suicide in the Christian Scriptures. In addition, the Hebrew Scriptures present numerous suicide-prevention narratives that are psychologically instructive. This paper examines evidence regarding seven risk factors for suicide and contrasts Greek and Biblical narratives to underscore the clinical and theoretical utility of the Biblical approach: (1) Feeling isolated and ignored; (2) Feeling one’s life is meaningless; (3) Feeling exiled from one’s home or homeland; (4) Feeling unable to be oneself with others; (5) Feeling alone in one’s life mission; (6) Feeling abandoned by one’s child; and (7) Feeling doomed by a dysfunctional family of origin.

KEYWORDS:

• Biblical
• suicide
• suicide prevention
• Greek

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Paul Cantz http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5766-6159

Notes

1. Only one semi-overt act of self-destruction occurs in the seven surviving plays of Aeschylus, the third great Greek tragedian; specifically, in The Seven Against Thebes, where Eteocles, son of Oedipus and Jocasta rushes to the battlefield, insisting the gods are eager for his death (p. 109).

2. Only one suicide, Judas Iscariot, appears in the Christian Scriptures either by hanging (Matthew 27:5) or falling and bursting open (Acts 1:18).