THEORY OF SUICIDE

A former student of Kurt Lewin's (to whom he acknowledges indebtedness), now an associate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Connecticut, has implemented his theory with research findings in Norway (a low suicide country) and Denmark (high). The suicide rate is a direct reflection of the culture and certain deductions can be drawn from its incidence in classes, certain cities, etc. There are as well overall precipitating causes. However most of Mr. Farber's theory, worked out in an equation (and proceeding to less ""simple mathematications""), relates suicide to hope (it is a disease of hopelessness--does not occur at the very nadir of depression) and the components of competence versus threat.. . . Conjectural, admittedly, interesting and accessible for the layman although its primary designation is professional.