ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WAS TO TEST THE THEORY OF 'MASCULINE PROTEST'. ACCORDING TO THIS THEORY, DELINQUENCY IS OFTEN THE ACTING-OUT OF EXAGGERATED MASCULINITY RESULTING FROM INADEQUATE MASCULINE IDENTITY. DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH MALES BETWEEN 14 AND 16 YEARS OLD WHO HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN THE TEL AVIV METROPOLITAN AREA IN 1961. THE QUESTIONNAIRE DEALT WITH THE STRUCTURE OF THE FAMILY, THE BOYS' EXPOSURE TO MALE AND FEMALE MODELS, AND THEIR ATTACHMENT TO EACH PARENT. THE DATA WERE ORGANIZED INTO FOUR SOCIOECONOMIC STRATA. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THE MEAN DELINQUENCY LEVEL OF BOYS FROM INTACT FAMILIES WOULD BE LOWER THAN THAT OF BOYS FROM BROKEN HOMES. IT WAS ALSO HYPOTHESIZED THAT, AMONG THE BOYS FROM BROKEN HOMES, THE FATHERLESS ONES WOULD BE MORE DELINQUENT THAN THE MOTHERLESS ONES. IT WAS FOUND, HOWEVER, THAT BOYS FROM BROKEN HOMES WERE NOT MORE DELINQUENT THAN OTHERS, AND THAT FATHERLESS BOYS WERE LESS DELINQUENT THAN MOTHERLESS BOYS. FATHERLESS BOYS ACTUALLY HAD FEWER CONVICTIONS THAN THOSE FROM INTACT FAMILIES. ACCORDING TO THE DATA, THE THEORY OF MASCULINE PROTEST IS NOT APPLICABLE IN ISRAEL. THIS MAY BE EXPLAINED BY THE FACT THAT THE THEORY ORIGINATED IN THE UNITED STATES, WHERE THE NORMATIVE FAMILY UNIT IS THE NUCLEAR FAMILY AND WHERE THE UNIT IS OFTEN INCOMPLETE, ESPECIALLY IN THE LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC STRATA. IN ISRAEL, THE NORMATIVE UNIT IS OFTEN THE EXTENDED FAMILY, WHERE THE PRESENCE OF OTHER MALE FIGURES WITH SOME LEGITIMATE ROLE IN THE FAMILY RELIEVES THE POTENTIAL HARM OF A FATHER-IN-ABSENCE. ALSO, 85 PERCENT OF THE JUVENILE DELINQUENTS IN ISRAEL HAVE THEIR ORIGINS IN ASIA OR AFRICA, WHERE THE EXTENDED FAMILY IS STILL THE MAJOR UNIT OF THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE. THE DATA INDICATE THAT THE MASCULINE PROTEST THEORY MAY BE VALID FOR ISRAELI MIDDLE-CLASS JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, BUT FAILS WHERE THE LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC STRATA ARE CONCERNED. THE DISRUPTION OF THE TRADITIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE FAMILY IS NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO DELINQUENCY. IN OTHER SOCIAL SYSTEMS, WHERE DIFFERENT SOCIAL CONDITIONS EXIST, THIS THEORY MAY HAVE MORE VALIDITY. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE CONFLICTS AND STRESSES RESULTING FROM SOCIAL CHANGE AND CULTURE CONFLICT IN ISRAEL OVERSHADOW THE TROUBLED FAMILY AS CAUSES OF DELINQUENCY. THE ONLY RELIABLE INDICATOR OF DELINQUENCY IS PAST DELINQUENCY. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (JSP)