Recorded encounters and discussion groups were supplemented with in-depth interviews with individuals and by participant observation. Fifteen groups of 25 youth were involved. The analysis focused on segments of the discourse. One segment, the "we/they" dimension, indicates the emergence of a collective identity in adolescents, demarcating their sense of separation from and conflict with the adult world. An examination of their "critical vision of the adult world" examines what they reject of current social organization. An analysis of the strategies of the "teenage role" addresses the adaptations of youth in their hostile interactions with the adult world. Consideration of "affirmative discourse" focuses on the ideal images of life and society that give meaning to youth. Analysis of "the fragmentation of the we" notes gender conflict within the collective "we" of youth identity and demonstrates the difficulty youth experience in escaping from and overcoming institutional inertia. 2 notes.