THE GENERAL HYPOTHESIS EXPLORED IS THAT PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT SOCIETIES WITH OPPOSING NORMS AND VALUES ARE UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE, ARE THUS HINDERED IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP INDEPTH RELATIONSHIPS, AND AFFIRM THIS INABILITY IN THEIR STATEMENTS OF DISSATISFACTION. PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION (THE PROCESS BY WHICH PEOPLE ARE ESTRANGED FROM THEMSELVES IN FAVOR OF THEIR SOCIAL ROLES) WAS MEASURED BY THE 'Q-SORT' TECHNIQUE IN 25 ADULT PAROLE AGENTS AND THEIR ADULT PAROLEES. FOR THE AGENTS, THE TECHNIQUE WAS DESIGNED TO MEASURE THE IDEAL PAROLE AGENT; FOR THE PAROLEE, THE TECHNIQUE MEASURED THE IDEAL 'CRIMINAL.' ALL OF THE PAROLE AGENTS HAD A MARKED DEGREE OF PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION. OVER HALF OF THE PAROLEES SHOWED A MARKED DEGREE OF IDENTIFICATION (THE GENERAL PROCESS OF ESTRANGEMENT FROM SELF IN FAVOR OF AN OBJECT), BUT NOT TO THE PERSON. FOR PAROLEES, IDENTIFICATION RELATED TO 'CRIMINAL' BEHAVIOR PATTERNS TO WHICH THEY VERBALLY DENIED IDENTIFICATION AND WHICH DID NOT REPRESENT THE PAROLEES' PERSONAS (SELF-CONCEPT, AS AN INTERACTION BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY). ALTHOUGH THE SUBJECTS REPORTED SATISFACTION WITH THEIR RELATIONSHIPS, APPARENTLY THE RELATIONSHIPS WERE SATISFACTORY ONLY WHEN THERE WAS NO CONTACT BETWEEN THE PARTICIPANTS. THE INFERENCE IS THAT THE PAROLE AGENT-PAROLEE RELATIONSHIPS ARE GOVERNED BY A MANAGERIAL MODEL OF COMMUNICATION, CHARACTERIZED BY SUPERFICIALITY AND FORMALITY, AS OPPOSED TO A THERAPEUTIC MODEL OF EMOTIONAL RELATEDNESS. SUPPORTING DATA, STUDY INSTRUMENTS, AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)