Neurotic and delinquent children are normally at opposite ends of the spectrum, with the 'normal' child fitting in between. Both neurotic and delinquent children have feelings of distrust, but express it differently. The neurotic child will form a therapeutic attachment to the therapist much more quickly than the delinquent, whereas the delinquent finds it almost impossible to get close to another person. Both extremes suffer from feelings of insecurity, with the neurotic often looking sad and unsure. The delinquent, in contrast, is a show-off, vain, and narcissistic. Delinquents often show a callous disregard for other people, while neurotics are overly sensitive to suffering. Delinquent children cannot punish themselves with feelings of guilt, as neurotics can, but they go out of their way to have punishment imposed upon them by others. Neurotics are compulsive, while delinquents are impulsive. Neurotics frequently have no friends, while delinquents feel they must be in a group. Psychotherapy can help neurotics to relax and can help delinquents to develop more self-control. Basic aspects of the patient-therapist interaction are consistency, concern with social values, relative freedom and some impulse-awareness, expansion of the emotional range, and identification. One table is supplied.