The participants were ages 11-18 and had been targeted by five State-funded juvenile delinquency prevention programs in Virginia. The youths completed interviews in which they provided their likely strategies for resolving hypothetical interpersonal dilemmas. Results revealed that strategies reflecting relatedness striving and autonomous-related reasoning were correlated positively with social problem solving and academic competence. Acts of delinquency were more frequent among adolescents whose strategies displayed little relatedness striving, combined with lack of understanding that relationships can support both autonomy and relatedness. Findings supported the view that motivations to establish autonomy while maintaining relationships characterize important dimensions of adolescent social competence and may help enhance knowledge of adolescent problem behaviors. Findings suggest the desirability of providing settings that facilitate positive expressions of developmental needs for autonomy and relatedness. Tables and 50 references (Author abstract modified)