THE FOCUS IS ON PERSONALITY TRAITS OF YOUNG CHILDREN WHO ACHIEVE IN SCHOOL DESPITE ENVIRONMENTAL HANDICAPS. THE SUBJECTS WERE TEN "GOOD" AND TEN "POOR" ACHIEVERS FROM THE FOURTH GRADE IN A SCHOOL LOCATED IN A SEVERELY DEPRESSED URBAN AREA. THE CHILDREN WERE CHOSEN ON THE BASIS OF ACHIEVEMENT SCORES AND TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS. ALTHOUGH ALL SCORED AT LEAST AVERAGE ON THE OTIS TESTS, THE POOR AND GOOD ACHIEVERS WERE NOT MATCHED ON IQ. A BATTERY OF EIGHT ADDITIONAL INSTRUMENTS WAS USED TO MEASURE MANY COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE FACTORS. THEY WERE ADMINISTERED BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND IN THE CLASSROOM BY TWO PSYCHOLOGISTS. INCLUDED WERE--(1) THE WISC SUBTESTS TO MEASURE SPECIFIC COGNITIVE FACTORS, (2) THE RORSCHACH TO MEASURE PERSONALITY FACTORS, (3) THE USE OF OBJECTS TEST TO MEASURE DIVERGENT THINKING, (4) THE OBJECT SORTING TASK WHICH MEASURES THE ABILITY TO SEE RELATIONSHIPS AND TO GENERALIZE, (5) A STORY TELLING TASK TO MEASURE THE NEED FOR ACHIEVEMENT AND OTHER FACTORS, (6) THE DRAWING COMPLETION TASK TO MEASURE CREATIVITY AND ORIGINALITY, (7) THE SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL TO MEASURE ATTITUDES TOWARD SCHOOL AND NONSCHOOL FACTORS, AND (8) FREE DRAWINGS TO REVEAL ATTITUDES TOWARD SCHOOL, TEACHER AND SELF IN RELATION TO FAMILY. THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT, ALTHOUGH A GOOD ACHIEVER FROM AN UNDERPRIVILEGED ENVIRONMENT IS RELATIVELY CONTROLLED AND CAUTIOUS, OFTEN STEREOTYPED AND CONSTRICTED, HE STILL RETAINS A DEGREE OF CREATIVITY. HE IS MORE WILLING TO CONFORM TO ADULT DEMANDS, HAS A MORE POSITIVE VIEW OF AUTHORITY FIGURES AND GREATER SELF CONFIDENCE. HE IS SUPERIOR IN ANALYTICAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL ABILITY. HE EXCELS IN TASKS REQUIRING MEMORY, ATTENTION, AND VERBAL ABILITIES. THE POOR ACHIEVER IS BURDENED BY ANXIETY, FEAR, AND A LACK OF SELF CONFIDENCE. HE IS IMPULSIVE AND EXPRESSES HIS ANXIETY IN EXCESSIVE TALKING.