THROUGH THE USE OF VIDEOTAPED, SIMULATED COUNSELING VIGNETTES, RESEARCHERS ANALYZED REACTIONS OF 98 MALE INMATES OF A FEDERAL PENAL INSTITUTION. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST WAS WHETHER OR NOT AN INMATE'S LEVEL OF ADJUSTMENT, AS MEASURED BY BARRON'S EGO STRENGH SCALE, WAS RELATED TO PREFERENCE FOR EITHER A PEER OR PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR. THE EGO STRENGTH SCALE FAILED TO SERVE AS A USEFUL PREDICTOR OF INMATES' PREFERENCE FOR TYPE OF COUNSELOR. RESULTS OF THE STUDY SHOWED THAT A MAJORITY OF INMATES PREFERRED A PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR, WHEREAS A MINORITY PREFERRED A PEER. REASONS FOR THE PREFERRENCE FOR A PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR COULD BE INMATE'S PERCEPTION THAT HE HAD GREATER INFLUENCE REGARDING PAROLE OR RESPONDED IN A SOCIALLY DESIRABLE WAY. THE FACT THAT PEER COUNSELORS HAVE ONLY RECENTLY BEEN EMPLOYED IN A PRISON SETTING MAY HAVE BEEN A FACTOR IN THE LOW NUMBER OF PREFERENCES FOR A PEER COUNSELOR. THE FINDING THAT THE MAJORITY OF PRISONERS PREFERRED THE PROFESSIONAL SUGGESTS THAT SUBJECTS SEEM TO DESIRE THE EMPLOYMENT OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS. THIS COULD BE PARTICULARLY RELEVANT TO INSTITUTIONS IN WHICH THE PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR-INMATE RATIO IS HIGH. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MJW)