ORIGINAL PAPER
Profiles of suicidal individuals: behavioral, emotional, and cognitive characteristics
1
Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea
2
New York State Office of Mental Health, Albany, NY, United States
3
Chinju National University of Education, Jinju, Republic of Korea
4
Haskins Laboratories, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
Submission date: 2025-01-27
Final revision date: 2025-10-08
Acceptance date: 2025-10-09
Online publication date: 2025-12-16
Publication date: 2026-01-28
Health Psychology Report 2026;14(1):71-77
KEYWORDS
behavioralemotionaland cognitive characteristicssuicidal activationsuicidal purposesvirtual observationexperimental scale
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
This study aimed to analyze behavioral, emotional, and cognitive characteristics that influence varieties of suicide. The theoretical framework drew on three perspectives: philosophical analyses of the purposes of suicide, sociological exam-inations its processes of propagation, and psychological analyses exploring its mechanisms through personal characteris-tics. These perspectives served as foundational resources for the study’s design and for constructing a questionnaire used in the experimental analysis.
Participants and procedure:
A questionnaire was constructed to manipulate two key variables: the type of suicidal purpose (public, mixed, or private) and the level of suicidal activation (active or passive), resulting in six hypothetical suicide scenarios, which allowed participants to observe the simulated cases of suicidal behavior. Participants (N = 205) were asked to respond to 18 items, categorized by three psychological characteristics across the six scenarios, using a 7-point Likert scale.
Results:
Significant variations were observed across the three types of suicidal purposes and the two activation levels. The patterns differed depending on the psychological characteristics, showing interaction between the two variables. Overall, suicides driven by private purposes showed higher behavioral propensity than those driven by public purposes. Emotional and behav-ioral responses were higher than cognitive ones, while cognitive activation was higher in public-purpose suicides.
Conclusions:
The findings indicate that elevated emotional responses tend readily to transfer into suicidal behaviors. Behavioral propensi-ty appears slightly lower in public-purpose suicides, which require stronger cognitive justification. These results suggest that suicide processes can be more precisely explained by considering psychological characteristics, while philosophical skepti-cism and sociological anomie have left certain ambiguities unresolved. Future research is encouraged to apply this design across diverse cultural contexts and to incorporate actual suicide cases to further validate the proposed model.
This study aimed to analyze behavioral, emotional, and cognitive characteristics that influence varieties of suicide. The theoretical framework drew on three perspectives: philosophical analyses of the purposes of suicide, sociological exam-inations its processes of propagation, and psychological analyses exploring its mechanisms through personal characteris-tics. These perspectives served as foundational resources for the study’s design and for constructing a questionnaire used in the experimental analysis.
Participants and procedure:
A questionnaire was constructed to manipulate two key variables: the type of suicidal purpose (public, mixed, or private) and the level of suicidal activation (active or passive), resulting in six hypothetical suicide scenarios, which allowed participants to observe the simulated cases of suicidal behavior. Participants (N = 205) were asked to respond to 18 items, categorized by three psychological characteristics across the six scenarios, using a 7-point Likert scale.
Results:
Significant variations were observed across the three types of suicidal purposes and the two activation levels. The patterns differed depending on the psychological characteristics, showing interaction between the two variables. Overall, suicides driven by private purposes showed higher behavioral propensity than those driven by public purposes. Emotional and behav-ioral responses were higher than cognitive ones, while cognitive activation was higher in public-purpose suicides.
Conclusions:
The findings indicate that elevated emotional responses tend readily to transfer into suicidal behaviors. Behavioral propensi-ty appears slightly lower in public-purpose suicides, which require stronger cognitive justification. These results suggest that suicide processes can be more precisely explained by considering psychological characteristics, while philosophical skepti-cism and sociological anomie have left certain ambiguities unresolved. Future research is encouraged to apply this design across diverse cultural contexts and to incorporate actual suicide cases to further validate the proposed model.
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| eISSN: | 2353-5571 |
| ISSN: | 2353-4184 |
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