This is an exploration of the discrepancy between expressed and enacted democratic beliefs using a written self-report questionnaire incorporating personality scales and indices, direct ideological questions, and projective questions to be answered narratively. High school students (n=412) of varying race and social class were studied in three communities. Data analysis techniques included Pearson r correlation, univariate analysis of variance, and chi-square. Findings indicate that psychological deprivation is highly related (p<.001) to democratic socialization and cognitive closure (p<.001) and suggest that democratic value teaching will not produce a democratic personality unless preceded by an environment which gratifies the basic needs of the child. (Author)