All of the students were attending a Southern, urban university. The accounts were gathered by students in a single semester in 1986 as part of their research for a course on deviant behavior. The book opens with an introductory review of the concepts and theories contained in the social constructionist perspective on deviance, the theoretical stance from which the course was taught. Student descriptions of rule-breaking behavior include married students having affairs, fraternity drinking parties, cocaine dealing, employee theft, self-mutilation, nudism, vegetarianism (alternative lifestyle), and various explosives and weapons activities. Each account addresses the meaning of the deviant activity to the students and describes the students' motives; the excuses and justifications they use to rationalize and explain their behavior; the reactions of other students, parents, and authorities; and the problems students face when they are caught or when they have to manage the stigma of a deviant identity. Common, key themes in the deviant behaviors are outlined in the concluding chapter. 14 recommended readings.