This paper reports on a year-long study of two preschool children's patterns of social adjustment and peer response. The theoretical orientation of the paper is interactionist. Patterns of adjustment and group response are described as social constructions which stigmatized the two children studied. The 24 children in the group came from traditional families. Most were 4-year-old girls. Data were obtained from multiple sources, including 34 hours of videotaped behavior in activity centers; 72 hours of participant observation field notes; transcripts from taped formal interviews with teacher, aide, and mothers; classroom artifacts; school records; reports; program descriptions; and material from children's cumulative folders. The two children on whom the study focused, Dan and Joan, were found to break rules by behaving aggressively; failing to recognize or accept routines, rules, and limits; and missing opportunities to have positive contact with peers. Reported findings describe Dan and Joan's rule-breaking behaviors and three general patterns of peer responses: exclusions, snubs, and put-downs. Characteristics of exclusions, snubs, and put-downs are discussed. Concluding remarks focus on social processes and intervention. (RH)