Literature relative to the economically disadvantaged and their personal characteristics has, to a great extent, centered on urban dwellers in recent years. The research reported in this book grew out of the belief that the impoverished in the rural areas no less than those in the city deserve serious attention. The research involved utilized multiple techniques emphasizing objectivity and quantification. Comparative analyses are presented concerning the intellectual, social, motivational and temperamental similarities and differences between Negro and white children growing up in the rural South. Millfield, North Carolina was selected as the site for intensive study. Results indicate that the behaviors studied are influenced by environmental conditions and not genetically. The authors conclude that those differences that do exist may well be attributable to modifiable aspects of the social order in which they are created. (DK)