... important factor in determining suicide rates. Durkheim, almost ten years before he wrote "Suicide", stated that, "...it is quite certain that a consistent increase in suicides always attests to a serious upheaval in the organic conditions of society..." and attempted to prove this through examination of official government statistics on suicide rates in Europe. From his analysis of these figures, Durkheim made three conclusions: that suicide rates remain constant over time in any one society, changing only in times of social change and upheaval; that suicide rates differ between societies; and that suicide rates differ within groups in any one society. One of Durkheim's greatest contributions to the study of sociology was his methods for 'variable analysis', that is, his attempts to measure the effects of various variables on others. For example, Durkheim believed that religion was an important factor in determining suicide rates, and therefore he attempted to prove ...

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