EARLIER STUDIES HAVE FOCUSED ON AN APPARENT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VOCATIONAL AND PERSONAL MALADJUSTMENT IN FORMER DELINQUENTS. IN THESE STUDIES FORMER DELINQUENTS HAD MORE FREQUENT JOB CHANGES, LESS RESPONSIBLE JOBS, MORE UNEMPLOYMENT, AND MORE ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR THAN NONDELINQUENTS. TO INVESTIGATE PERSONALITY AND VOCATIONAL VARIABLES WHICH MIGHT EXPLAIN THIS, A BATTERY OF 4 STANDARD VOCATIONAL-INTEREST AND PERSONALITY TESTS WERE GIVEN TO 410 ADJUDICATED DELINQUENT MALES RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN 2 NORTH CAROLINA YOUTH DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONS. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL NUMBERS OF BLACK AND WHITE BOYS. MEAN AGE WAS 14.9 YEARS. FIVE IMPORTANT FACTORS WERE UNCOVERED. THE FIRST IS THAT THE BOYS TENDED TO HAVE HIGH SCORES IN THE AREA TERMED 'EXPRESSION OF IDEAS AND TALENTS TO PEOPLE.' THIS APPARENT INTEREST IN ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE PERSONAL EXPRESSION OF IDEAS AND TALENTS MAY REPRESENT UNCRYSTALIZED VOCATIONAL INTEREST PATTERNS. THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT VARIABLE WAS AN 'IDEALIZED VIEW OF WORK.' MANY OF THE BOYS HAD A STEREOTYPE OF AN IDEAL JOB WHICH HAS PLEASANT WORKING CONDITIONS, CERTAINTY OF EMPLOYMENT, WORK THAT CAN HELP OTHERS, ADEQUATE PAY, AND SUPERVISORS THAT ARE PLEASANT AND EASY TO GET ALONG WITH. THIS MAY INDICATE THAT JOB EXPECTATIONS ARE TOO HIGH. THE THIRD FACTOR, 'VOCATIONAL MALADJUSTMENT,' IS NOT AN INDICATION OF PERSONALITY DISTURBANCE, BUT RATHER INDICATES THAT THE BOY HAS AN UNREALISTIC VIEW OF THE WORK TO BE PERFORMED AND AN IMMATURE ATTITUDE TOWARD JOB RESPONSIBILITIES. THE FOURTH FACTOR WAS 'ASOCIALIZATION' AND INCLUDED SOCIAL ANXIETY, WITHDRAWAL, DENIAL, AND MANIFEST AGGRESSION. THIS INDICATED PROBLEMS WITH PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. THE FIFTH FACTOR, 'OPERATION OF THINGS, MACHINES, AND SYSTEMS,' WAS NOT AS SIGNIFICANT AS THE OTHERS BUT WAS MORE POSITIVE THAN WOULD BE EXPECTED IN A RANDOM GROUP OF MALES. IT MAY EXPLAIN THE HIGH INTEREST IN SUCH JOBS AS ENGINE REPAIR OR OTHER VOCATIONS USING TOOLS AND MACHINES. OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE TO COUNSELORS IN VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR DELINQUENTS ARE FACTORS TWO AND THREE. REALISTIC JOB EXPECTATIONS AND REALISTIC CAREER CHOICES ARE ESSENTIAL TO JOB SUCCESS. FULL INFORMATION ON REQUIREMENTS FOR THE VARIOUS VOCATIONS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN EVERY TRAINING PROGRAM. A MORE DIFFICULT AREA IS THE SOCIAL MALADJUSTMENT INDICATED BY THE FOURTH FACTOR. THE IMPLICATION IS THAT COUNSELORS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS WORKING VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE PROGRAMS MUST PROVIDE HELP WITH BOTH PERSONAL ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING. (GLR)