A field study of 5 proximal social psychological variables in a sample (348) of mature, long-term residents of Maine, who were stable in relative rates of suicide, was undertaken to test Farber’s theory of suicide. Farber maintained the probability of suicide is inversely related to the level of hope present in the individual & therefore directly related to the threat & inversely related to the sense of competence. Implications for crisis intervention are discussed. 4 ref. (NBB)