THE 'IMPORTATION' MODEL OF PRISONIZATION (THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF PRISON ON CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND RECIDIVISM) EMPHASIZES THE INFLUENCE OF PREPRISON VARIABLES AS DETERMINANTS OF THE NATURE OF PRISON IMPACTS, AND THE 'DEPRIVATION' MODEL OF PRISONIZATION FOCUSES ON INPRISON VARIABLES AS THE DOMINANT PRISONIZATION FACTORS. 'SOCIAL ANCHORAGE' (THE ORGANIZING FRAMEWORK OF SELF-CONCEPTIONS) IS HYPOTHESIZED TO BE A VARIABLE WHICH SUBSUMES SIGNIFICANT IDEAS FROM BOTH MODELS. TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS, A SAMPLE OF 399 INMATES FROM TWO UNITS WAS STUDIED IN TERMS OF VARIABLES MEASURING SOCIAL ANCHORAGE AND FACTORS THEORIZED IN THE DEPRIVATION AND IMPORTATION MODELS TO DETERMINE PRISONIZATION. VARIABLES FROM BOTH MODELS WERE DEMONSTRATED TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON PRISONIZATION; HOWEVER, THE IMPACT VARIED ACCORDING TO THE PHASE OF A SUBJECT'S PRISON CAREER. THE DATA ALSO SHOWED THAT PRISONIZATION AMONG SOCIAL ANCHORAGE GROUPS VARIED ACCORDING TO PRISON CAREER PHASE, WITH THE LOW SOCIAL ANCHORAGE GROUP DISPLAYING A U-SHAPED PATTERN. CONTRARY TO PREDICTIONS, THE HIGH 'LEGITIMATE' SOCIAL ANCHORAGE GROUP EXPERIENCED GREATER PRISONIZATION EFFECTS OVER THE THREE PRISON CAREER PHASES, WHILE THE HIGH DEVIANT GROUP EXPERIENCED DIMINISHED PRISONIZATION EFFECTS OVER THE PRISON CAREER PHASES. THIS MIXED PATTERN FAVORS AN INTERACTIVE MODEL THAT USES BOTH THE DEPRIVATION AND IMPORTANT VARIABLES TO EXPLAIN PRISONIZATION. THE MIDPOINT OF AN INMATE'S PRISON CAREER IS SHOWN TO BE AN IMPORTANT CROSSROAD IN PRISONIZATION, AND THE LATE CAREER PHASE IS ALSO IMPORTANT, PARTICULARLY FOR INMATES WITH HIGH LEGITIMATE SOCIAL ANCHORAGE. TABULAR DATA, SAMPLE INSTRUMENTS USED IN THE STUDY, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)