Colombia has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. This study attempted to identify individual factors related to resilience and vulnerability for violence and offending behavior among young men from high-risk families. Resilient young men (compared to offenders) had been less exposed to serious life stress, perceived stronger support from their families, narrated their histories with greater detail and effect, and perceived greater degrees of control and coherence in their lives. Persistent offenders centered their stories on the present or recent past, had many difficulties remembering their past and expressed little or no emotion when recalling even the most serious life events. They felt little control over their feelings or behavior and were easily led by others. Their mothers were perceived as caring but weak and unaware of their activities, while their families were perceived as rejecting. Temporary offenders were somewhere in between these two groups. Results were interpreted within the framework of attachment theory. Tables, references