Moral desperation has traditionally been defined as an individual's lack of social adjustment patterns in regard to his/her particular stage of cognitive development. Based on the assumption that the overall behavior patterns of adolescents differ in different social class settings, moral desperation was hypothesized to be a complex, multidimensional entity rather than a monotheoretical concept. College students (N=40) were given a series of tests to assess the behavioral complexity of moral desperation. Results indicated that the emotional component of each individual perception was very strong and multidimensional, suggesting that adolescent moral desperation should be viewed from a perspective broader than the cognitive dimension. (Author)