Fifty statements about wartime living were judged as to probability and desirability by 61 college students in February, 1942. Ratings on belief and desire correlated only .41. Stereotypes were believed more than desired. Debatable statements had similar means on belief and desire. Contrary to McGregor's conclusion (see 12: 4900), statements most important to the students did not show correspondence of belief and desire. Realism is also involved. Correlations between belief and desire varied among students from .74 to -.27. The noticeably maladjusted students were all among the extreme optimists or pessimists. Group predictions were fairly accurate, and it is suggested that optimism may be a view of accepting what is likely to occur. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)