A discussion of the conceptualization and measurement of juvenile delinquency focuses on research strategies used to collect and analyze data relating to the social definition, onset, continuity, and consequences of juvenile delinquency. Social processes by which certain categories of behavior come to be defined as delinquent are discussed. The question of how youths develop motivations to behave in ways defined as delinquent is explored, and social processes that hinder or promote the 'acting out' of deviant dispositions are considered. Processes that influence continuity or change in the level of delinquent involvement are discussed, as are social responses that arise in response to delinquency and the unanticipated functions of such behavior. A model of the social antecedents and consequences of delinquency is provided. Chapter questions, an index, and a 58-item bibliography are also supplied.