TWO QUESTIONS WERE THE FOCUS OF THIS STUDY: (1) WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INITIAL INSTITUTIONAL ADJUSTMENT AND THE FACTORS OF LOCUS OF CONTROL, ASSERTIVENESS, AND COPING STYLES; AND (2) WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOCUS OF CONTROL, ASSERTIVENESS, AND COPING STYLE? LOCUS OF CONTROL IS A TERM USED TO REFER TO THE CONSTRUCT OF INTERNAL VERSUS EXTERNAL CONTROL OF REINFORCEMENT. SUBJECTS, RESIDENTS OF THE ROBERT F. KENNEDY CENTER, A FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION IN MORGANTOWN, W. VA., WERE MALES WHO HAD COMMITTED A FEDERAL OFFENSE AND WERE INCARCERATED FOR MINIMALLY VIOLENT CRIMES. SUBJECTS FILLED OUT A FORM RECORDING DEMOGRAPHIC DATA AND THEN RECEIVED THREE TEST INSTRUMENTS. RESIDENTS FILLED OUT ROTTER'S I-E SCALE, GAMBRILL AND RICHEY'S ASSERTION INVENTORY, AND A 15-ITEM SELF-STATEMENT INVENTORY CONSTRUCTED BY THE PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR. DATA WERE ALSO COLLECTED ON SIX CRITERIA OF INSTITUTIONAL ADJUSTMENT: (1) INCIDENT REPORTS, (2) POSITIVE NOTATIONS, (3) MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARDS, (4) WORK PERFORMANCE RATINGS, (5) INTERPERSONAL ADJUSTMENT RATINGS BY UNIT OFFICERS, AND (6) INTERPERSONAL ADJUSTMENT RATINGS BY COUNSELORS. RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP EXISTED BETWEEN INCIDENT REPORTS AND THE CONSTRUCT OF LOCUS OF CONTROL; INCIDENT REPORTS AND COPING STYLE WERE POSITIVELY CORRELATED, AND A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP WAS UNCOVERED BETWEEN WORK ADJUSTMENT RATINGS AND THE RESPONSE PROBABILITY SCORE OF THE ASSERTION INVENTORY. THE THREE INSTRUMENTS CORRELATED ONLY MINIMALLY AMONG THEMSELVES. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EACH CORRELATION IS EXPLAINED. TABLES, REFERENCES, AND DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED -- MLC)