IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT PERSONALITIES OF STUDENTS WHO SHOPLIFTED WOULD BE GENERALLY MORE PATHOLOGICAL THAN THOSE OF NONSHOPLIFTERS AND THAT MMPI PATTERNS OF COLLEGIATE SHOPLIFTERS WOULD DIFFER FROM PROFILES OF NONSHOPLIFTERS, WITH PSYCHOPATHIC DEVIATE AND MANIA SUBSCALES OF THE MMPI SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOR THE SHOPLIFTING GROUP. SIXTY SUBJECTS WERE SELECTED FROM A GROUP OF 170 VOLUNTEERS WHO WERE PLACED BY QUESTIONNAIRE DATA INTO THREE GROUPS BY SEX CATEGORY: SHOPLIFTED MANY TIMES, SHOPLIFTED ONCE, AND NEVER SHOPLIFTED. THE FOLLOWING SCALES DIFFERENTIATED BETWEEN GROUPS: HYPOCHONDRIASIS, DEPRESSION, PSYCHOPATHIC DEVIANCY, OPPOSITE SEX ROLE INTERESTS, PARANOIA, AND MANIA. ACROSS ALL MMPI SCALES, PROFILE SCORES OF COLLEGIATE SHOPLIFTERS WERE HIGHER THAN THOSE OF NONSHOPLIFTERS. MALE SHOPLIFTERS SCORED HIGHER THAN MALE NONSHOPLIFTERS ON ALL SCALES EXCEPT THE HYPOCHONDRIASIS AND SOCIABILITY SCALES. FEMALE SHOPLIFTERS SCORED HIGHER THAN FEMALE NONSHOPLIFTERS ON ALL SCALES EXCEPT THE SOCIABILITY, LIE, AND CORRECTION SCALES. BOTH HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY WERE SUPPORTED IN THAT SHOPLIFTERS HAD MORE STANDARD SCORES TWO DEVIATIONS ABOVE THE MEAN THAT DID NONSHOPLIFTERS. CHRONIC SHOPLIFTERS DIFFERED FROM NONSHOPLIFTERS IN TERMS OF ELEVATED PSYCHOPATHIC DEVIANCY AND MANIA SCALES. SHOPLIFTING BEHAVIOR WAS CONSIDERED TO BE SYMPTOMATIC OF GENERAL MALADJUSTMENT. THE MMPI IS RECOMMENDED AS A USEFUL INSTRUMENT IN ANALYZING THE PERSONALITY OF SHOPLIFTERS. REFERENCES AND SUPPORTING DATA ARE INCLUDED, BUT THE QUESTIONNAIRE IS NOT PROVIDED. (DEP)