The paper evaluates the dynamics of the self-esteem-delinquency relationship, employing a three-wave panel study of adolescents which contains multiple measures of self-esteem and substantively interpretable subscales of self-reported delinquent behavior. The results show that the effect of self-esteem on subsequent delinquent activity is negligible, although there are consistent but weak negative effects of delinquent behavior on subsequent self-esteem. These findings are robust across various subgroups of age, gender, family type, race, and mother's education. They are also consistent across the various measures of self-esteem and delinquent behavior. The weakness of the results suggests that researchers look elsewhere than self-esteem for a fuller understanding of delinquency. One table, 2 figures, and 32 references are given. (Author abstract modified)