Some adolescents develop an especially strong need for autonomy, desiring to be "their own boss" and determined to follow their own rules. Previous research indicates that an exaggerated need for autonomy is associated with aggression and other problem behaviors. Yet little is known about the origins of such "me-first" attitudes. Why do some young…

The purpose of this study is to direct attention inside the walls of a juvenile correctional facility to closely examine the experiences and daily lives of adolescent inmates. The ethnographic data for this study were collected through participant-observation and extended interactions in a cottage for violent male offenders in one state's…