THIS NEW CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY IS DERIVED FROM RATIONAL THERAPY, AN APPROACH TO TREATING PROBLEMS THAT WAS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED BY ALBERT ELLIS. RATIONAL THERAPY POSITS THAT THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF ALL EMOTIONS AND ACTIONS IS WHAT PERSONS TELL THEMSELVES ABOUT EVENTS THAT HAPPEN TO THEM. EXPERIENCES OR EVENTS THAT HAPPEN TO PEOPLE, THEN, ARE NOT PRIMARY DETERMINANTS OF BEHAVIOR. THE REHABILITATIVE ASPECT OF THE SELF-TALK THEORY IS THAT ANY UNWANTED EMOTION OR ANY INEFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR CAN BE CHANGED BY IDENTIFYING AND THEN CHANGING THE UNDERLYING SELF-TALK. SEVERAL CASE STUDIES DEMONSTRATE THIS. SELF-TALK REVEALS UNDERLYING CAUSES OF A WOMAN'S ATTEMPTED MURDER OF HER ABUSIVE HUSBAND, A SHOPLIFTER'S OFFENSES, AN EXHIBITIONIST'S DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, AND EVEN THE CRIMES OF RICHARD SPECK AND CHARLES MANSON. ONCE BOTH THE OFFENDER AND THE COUNSELOR UNDERSTAND THESE CAUSES, THEN REHABILITATIVE STEPS CAN BE TAKEN. THE WOULD-BE MURDERESS, FOR EXAMPLE, REALIZED IN ANALYZING HER SELF-TALK THAT SHE FELT TRAPPED WITH HER DRUNKEN AND ABUSIVE MATE; SHE COULD NEITHER, SHE FELT, LIVE INDEPENDENTLY FROM HIM FOR FINANCIAL REASONS NOR COULD ESCAPE HIM AS HE WOULD FOLLOW HER. COUNSELING HELPED HER GET GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE FOR HERSELF AND HER CHILDREN. A BRIEF REVIEW OF OTHER CONTEMPORARY CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES, MORPHOLOGICAL, PSYCHOANALYTIC, CULTURAL CONFLICT, SUBCULTURAL, DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION, ANOMIE, AND MARXIST-LENINIST, SHOW THAT, WHILE THEORIES IDENTIFY SOME OF THE REASONS FOR CRIMINAL ACTS, THEY FAIL TO ANSWER MANY CRUCIAL QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE CAUSES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DEG)