조선시대 개인의 자살, 사회적 타살 - 『조선왕조실록』 자살 사례를 통하여 -

Abstract

This paper focuses on the cases of suicide in ≪Chosun Dynasty Annals≫ which recorded history from King Taejo to King Cheol-jong in Chosun dynasty, and analysis suicide type and social factors into individual suicide on Chosun period. ≪Chosun Dynasty Annals≫ is a good text for analysing social factors into a individual suicides. Because even thought ≪Chosun Dynasty Annals≫ did not include various suicides of the people on daily life, but contain important suicide cases which is made a social issue. The argument of this paper is on the premise that a social factors intervene in individual suicides, even though the suicides are the individual action, and it is necessary that survey a suicide of Korean society with diachronic view for establishing effective suicide prevention policy in the present. In terms of a suicide method, top on the list of a suicide method were unknownness. The reason unknownness is top is because of the features of ≪Chosun Dynasty Annals≫ that focuses on a political background of suicide than the suicide of way. In the incident that records the way of suicide, it is displayed in the order to ‘to hang oneself(自縊)’, ‘to poison oneself(飮毒)’, ‘suicide by sword’, ‘to drown oneself to river(投江)’, ‘to burn oneself(焚身)’, ‘to fast oneself(禁食)’, ‘to drown onesef from a high place(投身)’. This order shows us suicide methods that commonly used in the Chosun dynasty. Examining cause of suicide, there are lots of suicide cases that have cause of a ‘injustice’, ‘anger and despair’, ‘loyalty, fidelity and love of mother’ and ‘escape’. The cause of these suicide might be understood in the context given suicide individuals, and also can not be overlooked social factors that intervene in the cause of these suicide. First, the suicide due to ‘injustice’ is some kind of a suicide that come from personal self-esteem deprived in the suppression structure of society. In other words, it is a forced suicides that a person who accept the absurd social structure as a fate can takes. The suicide due to ‘anger and despair’ is some kind of suicide that Individual despair that can not be against social norms which was made for a a superiors men. It is the only escape from the despair. The suicide due to ‘loyalty, fidelity and love of mother’ is some kinds of suicide for obtaining social honor such as ‘忠’ and ‘㤠’. But the social honor is a social pressure, because it is not allowed to abandon the honor to live. While the suicide due to ‘escape’ is the result of actions to meet excessive desire for individuals. So there are no social factors forced to a individuals.