THE VICTIM ROLE IS PRESUMABLY ACQUIRED THROUGH DEVELOPMENTAL TRAINING AND IS THE OUTCOME OF AN INTERACTION BETWEEN THE PERCEPTIONS OF THE OFFENDER AND CERTAIN BEHAVIORS OR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VICTIM. THE DIFFERENTIAL ACQUISITION OF THE VICTIM ROLE PROVIDES THE FRAMEWORK FOR A MODEL USED TO ANALYZE THE VICTIM'S ADJUSTMENT AND ADAPTATION. THE COMPONENTS OF THE MODEL WERE EXPLORED THROUGH A HYPOTHESIS WHICH SUGGESTED THAT INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS WHO OCCUPIED LOWER STATUS POSITIONS WITHIN SOCIETY WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO EMBRACE THE VICTIM ROLE THAN THOSE INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS WHO OCCUPIED HIGHER STATUS POSITIONS. ANALYSIS WAS BASED ON 268 VICTIMS OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS. THREE SCALES WERE USED TO MEASURE CHANGES IN VICTIM BEHAVIOR AND VALUES THAT RELATED TO ACQUISITION OF THE VICTIM ROLE. RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE FIRST TWO GROUPS--ELDERLY AND WOMEN--DEMONSTRATED BEHAVIOR AND VALUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE VICTIM ROLE, WHILE THE ROLE-RELATED BEHAVIOR OF BLACKS--THE THIRD GROUP--WAS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS. THE UNPREDICTED RESILIENCE TO VICTIMIZATION SHOWN BY BLACKS MAY SUGGEST THAT AMONG POPULATION EXPOSED TO VICTIMIZATION OVER LONG PERIODS, THE EFFECT OF ANY SINGLE OFFENSE IS NEGLIGIBLE AND CAN BE HANDLED WITHOUT SIGNIFICANTLY ADJUSTING OR ALTERING CHARACTERISTIC LIFE-STYLE. THE MODEL MAY BE USEFUL AS A BASIS FOR UNDERSTANDING VARIATIONS IN THE IMPACT OF VICTIMIZATION IF FURTHER RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED. THE ARTICLE IS 1 OF 30 PAPERS ON VICTIMOLOGY PRESENTED AT THE 1978 MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY ON CRIMINOLOGY. REFERENCES ARE GIVEN. (MJW)