Inner Turmoil and Social Isolation: Unraveling the Causes Behind Priso
Answer:The psychological and sociocultural factors contributing to suicides among prisoners – including criminals and serial killers – represent a complex interweaving of internal conflicts and external pressures. On a personal level, there is often a deep sense of powerlessness, an identity crisis, and a loss of life’s meaning, which can be especially pronounced in individuals prone to violent behavior. As noted in one source, “A person who, based on his moral ailment, his malice, and madness, establishes his right to act and reshape the world in his own way, … but if he lingers in this feeling of his own powerlessness and bondage, then he will resort to suicide. Suicide – self-violence – is already something higher and freer than violence against others” (source: link txt). This reflects a contradiction: the energy that was once directed toward causing harm to others can, at a certain point, turn inward, resulting in self-destruction when the realization of one’s own inadequacy becomes insurmountable.On the other hand, sociocultural conditions play an equally important role. Prisoners often experience acute isolation and a loss of connection with the world, leading to the disintegration of their familiar social context, a change in status, and the loss of collective anchors. Such changes can intensify the feeling of detachment from society, creating a sense that further existence is devoid of any meaningful purpose. This is similar to the reasons described when “the psychological reasons that drive people to follow the ideas of neo-cults may be similar to the reasons pushing towards suicide. The loss of life’s meaning, an identity crisis, anxiety about the future, and psychological vulnerability play a significant role in making decisions that seem like the ultimate way out of a situation” (source: link txt). Even if the context of this description is aimed at other groups, the mechanisms of identity loss and the absence of belonging are entirely applicable to the prison environment, where the prisoner is deprived of hope for positive change and support.Thus, in prison conditions where external pressures and internal psychological crises intertwine, criminals may find themselves in a state where suicide is perceived as the only escape from a hopeless situation – a way to attain an illusion of control and liberation from the tormenting feelings of guilt, rejection, and deep internal contradictions.Supporting citation(s):“A person who, based on his moral ailment, his malice and madness, establishes his right to act and reshape the world in his own way, such a person, regardless of his external fate and deeds, is essentially his own murderer; … but if he lingers in this feeling of his own powerlessness and bondage, then he will resort to suicide. Suicide – self-violence – is already something higher and freer than violence against others.” (source: link txt)“The psychological reasons that drive people to follow the ideas of neo-cults may be similar to the reasons pushing towards suicide. The loss of life’s meaning, an identity crisis, anxiety about the future, and psychological vulnerability play a significant role in making decisions that seem like the ultimate way out of a situation.” (source: link txt)