Abstract
One hundred and twenty-nine dropouts, and a matched sample of one hundred and thirty-one persisting students completed semantic differential ratings of Self, Ideal Self, and University. Large discrepancies between the ratings of Self and University, and Ideal Self and University were found to be related to dissatisfaction with the university, and likelihood of dropping out of university. When dropouts were categorized into five “types” on the basis of their acceptance or rejection of the cultural goals associated with university attendance, and acceptance or rejection of the institutionalized means of attaining the goals, it was found that dissatisfaction with the university was not global, but that different types of dropouts experienced dissatisfaction with different aspects of the institutional environment in accordance with their motivations and aspirations. The findings of this study indicate that much valuable data may be overlooked by regarding dropouts as one homogeneous group.