The news of teenagers and even younger children committing ever more serious and violent crimes continues to shock and baffle. The escalating psychological and ... » 

The news of teenagers and even younger children committing ever more serious and violent crimes continues to shock and baffle. The escalating psychological and social toll of youth crime is being paid by all . from victims to offenders to parents and siblings to teachers and to the community as a whole. Adolescent Reputations and Risk looks beyond traditional theories to examine, from a solid empirical basis, the motivation and values that make some young people choose antisocial over positive behavior, resulting in potent new insights and possible solutions to this ongoing problem. Synthesizing 15 years of research with delinquent youth, this volume describes the volatile dynamic of child and adolescent social worlds, emphasizing reputation enhancement and goal-setting as bases underlying deviant behavior. «