This study reexamines Durkheim’s theory of social integration and suicide and tests for an association in a cross-cultural sample of pre-literate societies. Contrary to Durkheim’s theory, the author finds that suicide varies inversely with both social and religious integration. Results also suggested that suicide is negatively associated with a society’s ritual activity. Overall it is suggested that alienated persons in highly integrated societies will be at a greater risk of suicide than those in less integrated societies.

In this dissertation the author tests Naroll's "thwarting disorientation" theory of suicide further by testing hypotheses using individual suicide cases described in ethnography. Author also considered the societal factors that could create stress.

This article investigates how pathogen risk affects xenophobia, in-group bias, and collectivist and conformist values. Data analysis suggests that there is an association between pathogen risk and socialization for collectivist values, but the other variables were not associated with pathogen prevalence.

This article examines a hypothesis that associates alcoholism with the structure and quality of social norms related to drinking. Analysis yields little support for this hypothesis, but the amount of alcohol consumed by members of the society emerges as an important predictive variable. A new theory of alcoholism that takes this variable into account is discussed.

Authors suggest that suicide is more likely to occur in contexts where an individual's social ties are threatened, weakened, or broken, causing social dislocation (thwarting-disorientation contexts). Results support this hypothesis.

This article investigates variables related to suicide in preindustrial societies. Bivariate analyses indicate associations between rates of suicide and religion, kinship, political and economic integration, expression of emotions, and importance of pride. Multiple regression identifies three key predictors of suicide: the major economic activity, rules concerning the expression of emotions, and the importance of pride and shame.

This study tests for an association between suicide rates and cultural fear of the dead. Tests do not support a significant relationship.

The authors contribute to a growing body of theory which posits cultural differences as a result of variable pathogen prevalence by testing the relationship between pathogen richness and various measures of conformity in a cross-regional sample. After controlling for confounds such as life expectancy, GDP, population density, arable land area, and agricultural labor force, the authors suggest that conformity is emphasized to varying degrees in response to the increased vulnerability to pathogens generally associated with deviation from normative social conduct.

This study investigates the thwarting disorientation theory of suicide, suggesting that the rate of suicide in a society can be predicted from thwarting disorientation traits such as men’s divorce freedom and defiant homicide.

The author builds upon previous research (Winkelman 1998) to further elucidate the cross-cultural predictors of institutionalized human sacrifice. The author considers a range of ecological factors and political variables, particularly geopolitical dynamics and intra- and inter-group relations. Other factors were explored, including social complexity and social structures. The author identifies the lack of an effective superordinate political authority as a main determinant in similar behaviors contemporarily (e.g. suicide bombers, beheadings, public brutality in civil war).