THE KAHN TEST OF SYMBOL ARRANGEMENT (KTSA) AND AN INTELLIGENCE TEST WERE ADMINISTERED TO 30 YOUNG MALE ADULT INMATES WITH RECORDS OF PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS, 30 AGE-MATCHED NEUROTIC OUTPATIENTS, AND A CONTROL GROUP OF 30 APPLICANTS FOR A JOB PLACEMENT/TRAINING PROGRAM. THE KTSA, A TEST OF ABSTRACT THINKING, INVOLVES ARRANGING 15 SMALL PLASTIC OBJECTS, EXPLAINING REASONS FOR THE ARRANGEMENTS, AND INDICATING WHAT THE OBJECTS SYMBOLIZE. THE OFFENDERS' AND NEUROTICS' KTSA SCORES DIFFERED FROM CONTROLS' SCORES BUT NOT FROM EACH OTHER. HOWEVER, THERE WERE QUALITATIVE DIFFERENCES IN THE SYMBOL ARRANGEMENT PERFORMANCES OF OFFENDERS AND NEUROTICS. OFFENDERS EXHIBITED A TENDENCY TO BE REPETITIVE, WHEREAS NEUROTICS GAVE EVIDENCE OF A DEGREE OF HESITANCY AND PROBLEMS IN RISK TAKING. FOR ALL SUBJECTS, KTSA SCORES CORRELATED POSITIVELY WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXTENT OF FORMAL SCHOOLING. THAT THE NUMERICAL KTSA SCORES OF OFFENDERS AND NEUROTICS WERE COMPARABLE SUGGESTS THAT THE TWO GROUPS REPRESENT SIMILAR LEVELS OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY. THEIR DIFFERENT QUALITATIVE PERFORMANCES SUGGEST DIFFERENCES IN THE NATURE OF THEIR PATHOLOGY. PRAGMATIC REASONS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER HABITUAL OFFENDERS CONSTITUTE AN IDENTIFIABLE PSYCHODIAGNOSTIC CATEGORY ARE NOTED. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)