STUDY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTENT IN COMMUNICATIONS OF SUICIDAL INDIVIDUALS

Tested and supported the general hypothesis that the psychological content of communications of Ss who commit suicide differs from that of nonsuicidal normal Ss. A comparison was also made of 31 suicide-threatening outpatients with 40 suicide committers and 40 nonsuicidal normals. Ss were American-born, white, adult males matched for age and occupational level. The content of communications of suicide committers (suicide note) reflected heightened dependency needs, difficulty maintaining interpersonal relationships, a high degree of activity, and an expressive style of veiled aggression which includes hurting the self in order to hurt and manipulate others. Suicide threateners were predictably in some ways like suicide committers and in certain other ways more like nonsuicidal normals. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.