The theme of this issue--discovering virtues in delinquents--is an excellent reminder of the power of perception. "Virtue" and "delinquents" are two words that do not seem to belong in the same sentence, and by positioning them together, one is challenged to perceive them in a different way. What one often fails to recognize is that seeing a behavior as positive or negative--a strength or a deficit--often has more to do with the context in which the behavior is displayed, rather than with the behavior itself. This crisis prevention brief presents four key points about the meaning of behavior that must be considered, and which may increase staff effectiveness: (1) positive and negative behaviors are often two sides of the same coin; (2) all behavior has meaning; (3) behavior is adaptive; and (4) so-called "negative" behaviors can sometimes be channeled into positive action.