INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL STATUS WITH CLASSMATES AND WITH TEACHERS WAS EVALUATED TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT IT AFFECTS THE RESISTANCE OF THE ADOLESCENT MALE TO THE APPEAL OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR. A SAMPLE OF APPROXIMATELY 320 BOYS WERE INTERVIEWED IN DEPTH ON AN ANNUAL BASIS FOR 6 YEARS CONCERNING THEIR LEISURE-TIME ACTIVITIES AND FRIENDS FROM THE SEVENTH GRADE THROUGH THE SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL. EACH YEAR THE SCHOOL AND POLICE RECORDS OF CLOSE FRIENDS OF EACH SUBJECT WERE EXAMINED, AND THE ORIENTATIONS OF EACH TO DELINQUENT OR NONDELINQUENT ASSOCIATIONS WERE RATED. STATUS WITH CLASSMATES WAS MEASURED AT THE END OF EACH ACADEMIC YEAR BY ANALYSIS OF DATA GATHERED FROM A STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE. EACH WAS ALSO STATUS-RATED BY TEACHER. FINAL ANALYSES OF DATA WERE CONDUCTED, AND A CLASSMATE-PERSPECTIVE FOR EACH ADOLESCENT WAS PREPARED. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FINDING OF THE PROJECT WAS THAT POPULAR SCHOOL STATUS DOES NOT NECESSARILY RELATE TO FUTURE SUCCESS IN THE ADULT SOCIETY, AND VICE VERSA. THE FUTURE AS WELL AS THE EPHEMERAL PRESENT APPEARED TO BE OF MAJOR CONCERN TO MOST SUBJECTS, AND PEER GROUP SUCCESS, BY ITSELF, WAS NOT REASSURING. HIGH STATUS BOYS WHO WERE NOT INTELLECTUALLY SUCCESSFUL WERE AS LIKELY AS LOW STATUS BOYS TO SEEK COMPANIONS WITH DELINQUENCY RECORDS. (JH)