The impact of homelessness on children's level of aspiration.

In a sample of 39 school-age homeless children, their length of stay in shelters for the homeless was significantly correlated with an index of their level of aspiration. This correlation remained significant even when the effects of the children's intelligence and their performance on a related cognitive task were partialed out. Stories given in response to two Thematic Apperception Test cards by a small sample of these children illustrate the potentially traumatic consequences of homelessness on children's hopes and aspirations.