THE PROCESS OF SUCCESSFUL BEHAVIOR CHANGE IS AFFECTED BY A NUMBER OF SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRANSITIONAL ROLE. SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY A CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR THAT IS SELF-SUSTAINING, LEADING TO SUCCESSFUL OCCUPATION OF A TERMINAL STATUS. ALTHOUGH THE INITIATING OF MEDICAL STUDENTS INTO THE MEDICAL PROFESSION IS GIVEN AS AN EXAMPLE, THE CHARACTERISTICS MENTIONED APPLY IN VARYING DEGREES TO ALL BEHAVIOR CHANGES. A TRANSITIONAL CULTURE RELIEVING THE INDIVIDUAL OF CARES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND ALLOWING FOR EXPERIMENTATION AND PLAY IS REQUIRED. THE INDIVIDUAL IN SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION EXHIBITS A COMMITMENT TO THE NEW STATUS, AN ARTICULATION OF WHAT THE NEW STATUS IS LIKE, AND A RESERVED JUDGMENT OF HIS ABILITY TO ACHIEVE IT. FURTHERMORE, TOTAL INVOLVEMENT AND THE ACQUISITION OF AN INNER SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SELF-DIRECTION IS NEEDED. THE EXPECTATIONS OF OTHERS HAVE TO BE ALTERED SO THAT THE INDIVIDUAL IS PERCEIVED AS A LEGITIMATE OCCUPANT OF THE TERMINAL STATUS. FINALLY, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE TRANSITIONAL RULE SHOULD BE DEVELOPED WHICH PROVIDE--(1) THE INTIMACY NECESSARY FOR THE SCANNING AND INTEGRATION OF CHANGES INTO THE PERSONALITY, AND (2) THE INFLUENCE NECESSARY FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF THE INFLUENCING INSTITUTION'S CHANGE GOALS. (CG)