IN THE STUDY REPORTED, DIRECT INFORMATION ON THE CAUSES OF SUCH VIOLATIONS WAS OBTAINED THROUGH INFORMAL CONTACTS OVER A PERIOD OF FIVE MONTHS WITH ALL PRISONERS WHOSE BEHAVIOR MET THE CRITERIA AND WHO WERE CONFINED AT THE ILLINOIS STATE PENITENTIARIES AT JOLIET. HYPOTHESES RELATING TO SYSTEMATIC CAUSATION WERE FORMULATED PROGRESSIVELY. WHEN A HYPOTHESIS WAS FORMULATED, A SEARCH FOR NEGATIVE OR NON-CONFORMING CASES WAS CONDUCTED, AND WHEN SUCH CASES WERE FOUND THE HYPOTHESIS WAS REFORMULATED IN LIGHT OF THEM. THE INITIAL HYPOTHESIS, WHICH WAS ABANDONED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, WAS THAT POSITIONS OF FINANCIAL TRUST ARE VIOLATED WHEN THE INCUMBENT HAS LEARNED IN CONNECTION WITH THE BUSINESS OR PROFESSION IN WHICH HE IS EMPLOYED THAT SOME FORMS OF TRUST VIOLATIONS ARE MERELY 'TECHNICAL VIOLATIONS' AND ARE NOT REALLY WRONG 'ILLEGAL' OR 'WRONG'. THREE SUBSEQUENT REVISIONS FOCUSED ON MULTIPLE FACTOR CAUSATION, SHIFTING IN EMPHASIS FROM FINANCIAL 'OBLIGATIONS' TO NON-SHAREABLE 'PROBLEMS'. THE FINAL HYPOTHESIS, FOR WHICH NO NEGATIVE CASES WERE FOUND EITHER IN THE INTERVIEWS OR THE LITERATURE, TOOK THE FOLLOWING FORM: TRUSTED PERSONS BECOME TRUST VIOLATORS WHEN THEY CONCEIVE OF THEMSELVES AS HAVING A FINANCIAL PROBLEM WHICH IS NON-SHAREABLE, HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OR AWARENESS THAT THIS PROBLEM CAN BE SECRETELY RESOLVED BY VIOLATION OF THE POSITION OF FINANCIAL TRUST, AND ARE ABLE TO APPLY TO THEIR OWN CONDUCT IN THAT SITUATION VERBALIZATIONS WHICH ENABLE THEM TO ADJUST THEIR CONCEPTIONS OF THEMSELVES AS TRUSTED PERSONS WITH THEIR CONCEPTIONS OF THEMSELVES AS USERS OF THE ENTRUSTED FUNDS OR PROPERTY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)...ELW