RECENT RESEARCH ON SEX-ROLE STEREOTYPES HAS SUGGESTED THAT THE TRADITIONAL FEMININE STEREOTYPE MAY BE OPPOSED TO POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH. THE STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SEX-ROLE CONCEPTS AND SELF-ESTEEM AND BETWEEN SEX-ROLE CONCEPTS AND INSTITUTIONAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG RESIDENTS OF A FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION (FCI), FORT WORTH, TEXAS. A TOTAL OF 98 RANDOM SUBJECTS (50 PERCENT MALE AND 50 PERCENT FEMALE) COMPLETED THE BERGER SELF CONCEPT SCALE AND THE BEM SEX-ROLE INVENTORY AND WERE RATED ON ADJUSTMENT AND PERFORMANCE VARIABLES BY THREE STAFF MEMBERS. RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE MEAN SELF-ESTEEM SCORE FOR RESIDENTS WAS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN FOR PRISONERS IN GENERAL AND ALMOST AS HIGH AS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS. MORE WOMEN THAN MEN HELD TRADITIONAL SEX-ROLE STEREOTYPES. A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION EXISTED BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM SCORE AND MASCULINE SELF-CONCEPTS. HOWEVER, FEMININE SELF-CONCEPTS TENDED TO CORRELATE WITH ESTEEM OF OTHERS RATHER THAN SELF-ESTEEM. MASCULINE SEX-ROLES ALSO CORRELATED WITH SELF RATINGS OF SELF-CONFIDENCE. SELF-ESTEEM WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH EACH OF THE PERFORMANCE AND ADJUSTMENT VARIABLES. A ONE-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE INDICATED THAT INDIVIDUALS HOLDING A MASCULINE OR ANDROGYNOUS SEX-ROLE CONCEPT WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN SELF-ESTEEM THAN THOSE WITH THE FEMININE OR UNDIFFERENTIATED IMAGE. FINDINGS TEND TO SUPPORT OTHER RESEARCH INDICATNG THAT THE TRADITIONAL FEMININE SEX-ROLE STEREOTYPE IS NOT POSTITIVELY RELATED TO GOOD MENTAL HEALTH AND ADJUSTMENT. THE REPORT CONTAINS A BIBLIOGRAPHY; THE BERGER SELF CONCEPT SCALE, THE BEM SEX-ROLE INVENTORY, THE ADJUSTMENT/PERFORMANCE RATING SCALE, AND STATISTICAL TABLES ARE APPENDED. --AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED. (SAJ)