Young people are concerned with making and keeping friends, and they invest a great deal of energy in group social life to do so. This book charts the interactions of young people both in and out of school and the role of peers and friends in strengthening social attachments and in establishing social identities. It describes how social identities are worked out in different settings which compromise the adolescent's world and how these experiences differ for those who are shy, popular, aggressive or antisocial. The book consists of three parts. Part one describes how the social ties between friends link young people to various kinds of peer group structures, including friendship cliques, the peer crowd and classroom groups, and antisocial groups and gangs. Part two explores young people's behavior in the wider social environment and the implications of social acceptance or rejection for academic motivation, aggression and health-risk behavior. Part three describes how professionals can support young adolescents in building social attachments, giving practical examples of how this strategy is carried out in various communities. (WJC)