THE LITERATURE DESCRIBES BRIGHT DELINQUENTS (DEFINED FOR THIS STUDY AS PERSONS WITH AN IQ OF 115 OR HIGHER ON A STANDARD INTELLIGENCE TEST) AS MORE NEUROTIC, MORE PSYCHOTIC, AND MORE LIKELY TO COME FROM DISTURBED FAMIILY BACKGROUNDS. THEY ARE SEEN AS 'LONERS' AND ARE REPORTED TO ENGAGE IN FEWER GANG-RELATED DELINQUENT ACTIVITIES. TO TEST THESE STATEMENTS, A GROUP OF 30 DELINQUENTS WITH MEAN IQS OF 120, ALL CURRENTLY INCARCERATED IN OHIO JUVENILE INSTITUTIONS, WERE COMPARED WITH 30 'AVERAGE' DELINQUENTS (IQS RANGING FROM 90-104, MEAN 96). BATTERIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY TESTS AND PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WERE USED. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND ON THE PERSONALITY RESEARCH FORM-E. THE AVERAGE SUBJECTS EXPRESSED STRONGER DELINQUENT ATTITUDES ON THE PERSONAL OPINION STUDY; THESE SCORES WERE HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT FOR THE NEUROTIC DELINQUENCY SCALE, LESS SO FOR THE PSYCHOPATHIC DELINQUENCY SCALE AND THE SUBCULTURAL DELINQUENCY SCALE. BOTH GROUPS WERE DESCRIBED AS PSYCHOLOGICALLY DISTURBED, FROM INADEQUATE FAMILY BACKGROUNDS, AND UNDERACHIEVERS IN SCHOOL. HOWEVER, THE BRIGHT DELINQUENTS BEHAVED AND THOUGHT LESS LIKE CRIMINALS. THEY HAD STRONGER NEEDS FOR SOCIAL RELATIONS, WIDER AREAS OF PERSONAL INTEREST, AND HIGHER NEEDS FOR ACHIEVEMENT. THEIR FAMILIES SEEMED TO BE A MAJOR FACTOR IN THEIR DELINQUENCY AND THEIR DELINQUENCY WAS A MAJOR FACTOR IN THE ACADEMIC UNDERACHIEVEMENT. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE FINDINGS AND THE FINDINGS IN THE LITERATURE ARE DISCUSSED AT LENGTH. THE SURVEY INSTRUMENTS AND INTERVIEW SCHEDULES ARE APPENDED, AS ARE EXTENSIVE REFERENCES. (GLR)