TRADITIONALLY JUVENILE DELINQUENTS HAVE BEEN REGARDED AS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER JUVENILES. CONSEQUENTLY THE FOCUS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY STUDIES AND TREATMENT HAS BEEN ON THE DELINQUENT INDIVIDUAL. A MORE CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACH WOULD BE TO RECOGNIZE THAT ANYONE IS CAPABLE OF BEHAVIOR THAT MAY BE TERMED DELINQUENT, AND TO TRY TO DETERMINE WHAT ACTIVATES DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR IN SOME INDIVIDUALS. FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, IT IS APPROPRIATE TO ASK WHAT FUNCTION DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR FULFILLS. IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FAMILY, DELINQUENCY BOTH SIGNALS FAMILY DYSFUNCTION AND SERVES AS A CORRECTIVE (E.G., BY INDUCING PARENTS TO ASSERT THEIR AUTHORITY). WHEN VIEWED IN THE FAMILY CONTEXT, DELINQUENCY NO LONGER SEEMS THE ACT OF A STRANGE AND ALIENATED INDIVIDUAL. RATHER IT IS THE INDIVIDUAL'S EFFORT TO KEEP HIS OR HER FAMILY FUNCTIONING. THE THERAPIST WHO WORKS WITH DELINQUENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES NEEDS TO LEARN HOW EACH FAMILY WORKS--HOW IT DEFINES ITSELF AND HOW RESPONSIBILITIES ARE ALLOCATED AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS. IN TRYING TO HELP THE FAMILY FUNCTION MORE EFFECTIVELY, THE THERAPIST SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE TENACITY OF PATTERNS OF RELATING WITHIN FAMILIES AND MUST ALSO BE PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THE NEGATIVE FEELINGS THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT THERAPY. ALL FAMILY MEMBERS WHO LIVE TOGETHER SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THERAPY, WHICH SHOULD BE AIMED AT ENGAGING THE FAMILY IN TASKS THAT WILL IMPROVE ITS FUNCTIONING. THE FIRST STEP IS TO ENCOURAGE FAMILY MEMBERS TO DEAL CONSTRUCTIVELY WITH PROBLEMS THAT ARISE DURING COUNSELING SESSIONS. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS INCLUDED. (LKM)