Personality Differentials among Urban, Suburban, Town, and Rural Children.

A personality test, administered to children living in a highly urbanized area, a suburban area, a town, and a rural area, suggests that significant differences in personal and social adjustment exist among people living in these areas. Suburban children exhibited the highest degree of adjustment, urban children were second highest, rural children were third, and town children showed the poorest adjustment. Thus, the widely accepted hypothesis that the rural way of life is superior to the urban way of life from the stand- point of personality development is challenged. The hypothesis is advanced that the advantages of the urban way of life over the rural way of life are such as should be expected to lead to better personality adjustment in the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]