Durkheim argued that quite often the deviation caused by a lack of clear social norms.
Analyzing statistical data, Durkheim drew attention to some features: level of completed suicides are significantly higher in cities than in rural areas; suicide is often committed by people professing Catholicism than those who follow the Catholic faith; family men commit suicide much less in contrast to the single people, bachelors, and, especially, with the highest percentage of divorced men commit suicide more often than women, etc.
Based on research, Durkheim creates his typology of suicide:
Egoistic suicide. Type of suicide when a person goes to a individual protest, due to the fact that can not cope with the group.
Altruistic suicide (Durkheim calls it "endemic"). Type of suicide the opposite of egoistic suicide. Altruistic suicide occurs "in the case when the public completely and without residue absorbs the personality." Such suicides include, for example, the customs of some Nations, when the elderly commit suicide if life became painful; in Hinduism, self - immolation of widows on husband's funeral. According to Durkheim, altruistic suicide, i.e. suicide in the name of the interests of the group, is the result of pressure groups and social approval.
Nomicheskoj suicide. This type is associated with the nature of regulation of social relations of the society.
Durkheim also notes that in periods of economic crisis the number of suicides increases. But violations in other spheres of human life can cause a surge of suicides, such as the various political changes (revolution, regime change), social and spiritual. Durkheim observed that anomie affects the system of family relations. He notes that there is a relationship divorce statistics and data on suicide. From this we can draw some conclusions about what the divorce process, which, in some way, is anominal process may be one of the causes of suicide.