Critiques an article that compared genuine suicide notes with simulated notes. Elaborates on theoretical and methodological difficulties, noting a lack of hypotheses, operationalized constructs, and prediction testing. Examines the operational design used in the article and suggests that the study of suicide notes in such a fashion should cease.…

Responds to criticism of a method for analyzing genuine and simulated suicide notes. Claims that the critique is based on an inflexible and unnecessarily limited model of scientific psychology as a purely theory-driven enterprise. Discusses problems associated with such a limited view and addresses methodological and logical criticisms. (RJM)