 | Pop. Ha ha ha HAAA!Year Formed: 2006"...The word shinju in Japanese, originally meant a mutual suicide agreement by lovers in order to prove the genuineness of their love to each other. According to the strict and original definition described by Ohara (1985), shinju is an act where more than two people commit suicide voluntarily at the same place, at the same time, and for the same purpose. The definition has become looser and now also includes murder-suicides where some of those involved are killed against their will (Fukushima, 1984). The definition of shinju now includes both a genuine suicide pact, extended suicide (assisted suicide followed by suicide), and murder-suicide in which the killer and the victim(s) have a strong emotional tie with each other before the act. The feeling of "oneness" of those involved in shinju is important.
Shinju literally means "heart-inside" or "oneness of hearts" (Walsh, 1969) and this probably reflects a psychological joining of the participants. The participants may likely have a conscious awareness of wanting to join or unite with their partner in the afterlife, but unconsciously there may be a wish for infantile symbiosis and an intolerance of separation anxiety. The development of clear ego boundaries is probably impaired in these individuals though state-related regressions may also be at play in some individuals. Uniting with their suicide partner may be a reaction for failure to fit into society or a group.
The Japanese language has diverse words for shinju. Shinju has been classified into two major categories, johshi (mutually consented lovers' suicide) and oyako-shinju (parent-child suicide), the latter of which is subclassified further such as boshi-shinju (mother-child suicide), fushi-shinju (father-child suicide), and ikka-shinju (family suicide). The number of johshi have been declining in the past three decades. Although the number of oyako-shinju has been declining since the 1950s as well, it is still a serious problem..."
CULTURAL DYNAMICS AND THE UNCONSCIOUS IN SUICIDE IN JAPAN Yoshitomo Takahashi, M.D, Douglas Berger, M.D. (http://www.japanpsychiatrist.com/Abstracts/Shinju.html) |
http://www.myspace.com/shinjuband 
