THE REPORTED STUDY ON ROLE INTERFERENCE AND BEHAVIOR EXAMINED THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF OUTWARD-DIRECTED VIOLENCE INCREASES AS PERSONS' LIVES INVOLVE HIGH DEGREES OF ROLE INTERFERENCE. CONVERSELY, AS PERSONS' LIVES ARE CHARACTERIZED BY LOW DEGREES OF INTERFERENCE, THEN THE LIKELIHOOD OF INWARDLY DIRECTED VIOLENCE INCREASES. ROLE INTERFERENCE CONCERNS THE EXTENT THAT ENACTMENT OF CERTAIN SOCIAL ROLES TENDS TO IMPEDE THE PLAYING OF OTHER, MORE APPROPRIATE ROLES. FOR EXAMPLE, BEING AN ALCOHOLIC INTERFERES WITH ADEQUATE JOB ROLE PERFORMANCE. INCREASES IN INTERFERENCE ARE CONSIDERED LIKELY TO CAUSE FRUSTRATION, AND VIOLENCE DIRECTED AT THOSE SEEN TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES. A SURVEY OF SELECTED LITERATURE INDICATES THAT ROLE CONFLICT OCCURS WHEN PERSONS OCCUPY IMCOMPATIBLE STATUSES, WITH THE SUICIDE RATE VARYING INVERSELY WITH THE DEGREE OF STATUS INTEGRATION IN THE POPULATION. THE STUDY USED PSYCHIATRIC REPORTS ON 98 MALE SUICIDE VICTIMS, 62 HOMICIDE OFFENDERS, AND 76 NONPSYCHOTIC, NONVIOLENT PATIENTS FROM THE NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE HOSPITAL. ROLES SELECTED FOR ANALYSIS WERE THOSE OF CHILDHOOD, STUDENT, OCCUPATION, MARRIAGE, AND PARENTHOOD, WITH SCORES ASSIGNED TO THE VARYING DEGREES OF EACH PATIENT OR OFFENDER'S APPARENT ROLE INTERFERENCE. HIGH DEGREES OF INTERFERENCE WERE FOUND IN THE HOMICIDAL OFFENDERS, AND LOW DEGREES OF INTERFERENCE TENDED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE NONVIOLENT PATIENTS AND THE SUICIDE VICTIMS. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (TWK)