IN THIS CRITICISM, THE SOCIOCULTURAL VIEWPOINT OF THE MOYNIHAN REPORT IS CONTRASTED WITH THE MORE STRUCTURAL APPROACH OF OTHER ANALYSES OF NEGRO FAMILY PATTERNS. THE FORMER EMPHASIZES THE PATHOLOGICAL IN NEGRO FAMILY LIFE, THE LATTER THE SOCIAL CONDITIONS WHICH AFFECT THE FAMILY. STUDENTS OF THE NEGRO FAMILY HAVE NOTED THAT THE PARTICULAR PATTERN OF FAMILY INSTABILITY WHICH THE REPORT STRESSES MAY BE THE BEST ADAPTATION POSSIBLE UNDER CONDITIONS OF SOCIOECONOMIC DEPRIVATION. THEY ALSO SAY THAT LOW-INCOME NEGRO FAMILIES HAVE MANY STRENGTHS AND THAT 75 PERCENT ARE INTACT. THE REPORT STATES THAT THE HIGH RATE OF ILLEGITIMACY AMONG NEGROES IS A FACTOR IN FAMILY INSTABILITY, BUT CRITICS POINT OUT THAT THIS SOCIAL PROBLEM HAS TO BE STUDIED MORE THOROUGHLY TO ESTABLISH ITS ETIOLOGY AND ACTUAL RELATIONSHIP TO INSTABILITY. SUCH FACTORS AS DIVERGENT CLASS VALUES ABOUT LEGITIMACY AND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN INCOME LEVEL AND CONTRACEPTION MUST BE CONSIDERED. THE REPORT, IN SHORT, ATTRIBUTES THE "PATHOLOGY" IN THE NEGRO FAMILY TO RACIAL AND HISTORICAL VARIABLES RATHER THAN SOCIOECONOMIC ONES. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE "IRCD BULLETIN," VOLUME 2, NUMBER 3, MAY 1966, BY THE INFORMATION RETRIEVAL CENTER ON THE DISADVANTAGED. INCLUDED IS "DEBATE WITH MOYNIHAN CONTINUES" (IRCD BULLETIN, VOLUME 3, NUMBER 2, MARCH 1967), A RESPONSE TO DR. MOYNIHAN'S ARTICLE IN THE FEBRUARY 1967 ISSUE OF "COMMENTARY" IN WHICH HE CRITICIZES THIS EVALUATION OF THE REPORT. (NH)