Deals with the personal relevance of infraction" in variable sociocultural contexts by examining the association between delinquency and adolescent self-conceptions among junior and senior high school students differentiated on the basis of race and status. (Author/JM)

Analysis of self-report data from middle class adolescents shows that both peer relationships and elements of adult-child conflict affect the probability of vandalism. The strongest factors are peer-related, possibly because vandalism may be seen as a way of establishing positions within peer hierarchies. (Author/MC)