Suicidal Ideation and the Residual Capacity to Promote Inclusive Fitness: A Survey

Abstract

It has been argued that suicide relates to a diminished residual capacity to promote inclusive fitness, defined as the welfare and reproduction of self and kin. The present study examined whether this relationship is reflected in suicidal and sub‐suicidal ideation in the general population. A questionnaire concerning parameters of inclusive fitness, suicidal ideation and experience, and attitudes toward the value of life was distributed to samples of the general public and university undergraduates. Analyses indicated significant moderate relationships between inclusive fitness and suicidal ideation in both samples. Among items most strongly related to reported suicidal ideation were expectations of poor future health, perceptions of being burdensome, and unstable heterosexual relationships, with importance of other factors depending on age.

A Mathematical Model of Evolutionary Pressures Regulating Self‐Preservation and Self‐Destruction

“…I have previously reviewed archival evidence (de Catanzaro, 1981, in press) and presented some new data (de Catanzaro, 1984) showing a general correspondence of the social ecology of human suicidal behavior to theoretical selective pressures like those described above. To summarize this only very briefly, it is evident that suicidal behavior has occurred throughout human history, predominantly in individuals experiencing severe coping impasses related to relationships to the opposite sex, health, and social productive behavior.…”

“…The value of $i thus represents the summation of all costs of individual's immediate death to the propagation of his or her genes. It is, I believe, a precise formulation of what I have previously (de Catanzaro, 1981(de Catanzaro, , 1984 called the "residual capacity to promote inclusive fitness." This value as defined will vary across individuals, and indeed within any individual over time, as a function of reproductive prospects and interactions with potentially reproducing kin.…”

The evolution of genetic bandwagoning

“…de Catanzaro's (1981Catanzaro's ( , 1984 work on depression was mentioned (section 1) as consistent with bandwagoning theory. In the model, cooperators forego reproduction if their quality percentile is below 10, which is in accordance with the percentage of individuals in human populations that battle depression (Kessler and Bromet, 2013).…”

The Interplay Among Risk Factors for Suicidal Ideation and Suicide: The Role of Depression, Poor Health, and Loved Ones' Messages of Support and Criticism

“…The consequent feelings of being criticized, unwanted, and/or like a burden are associated, in turn, with increased suicidal ideation (Brown, Dahlen, Mills, Rick, & Biblarz, 1999;de Catanzaro, 1984;Woznica & Shapiro, 1990). Moreover, the deleterious effects of feeling like a burden on suicidal tendencies (suicidal ideation and attempts) have been demonstrated across populations of adolescents, the elderly, and homosexuals (Brown et al, 1999;de Catanzaro, 1984de Catanzaro, , 1995. A prospective study of individuals hospitalized for exhibiting suicidal tendencies demonstrated that the extent to which individuals were considered to be a burden by their family predicted completed suicide within a 60-day period (Motto & Bostrom, 1990).…”

“…And, spousal criticism has been linked to depression (Thompson, Whiffen, & Aube, 2001), and to distress among cancer patients (Manne, 1999). The consequent feelings of being criticized, unwanted, and/or like a burden are associated, in turn, with increased suicidal ideation (Brown, Dahlen, Mills, Rick, & Biblarz, 1999;de Catanzaro, 1984;Woznica & Shapiro, 1990). Moreover, the deleterious effects of feeling like a burden on suicidal tendencies (suicidal ideation and attempts) have been demonstrated across populations of adolescents, the elderly, and homosexuals (Brown et al, 1999;de Catanzaro, 1984de Catanzaro, , 1995.…”