In this article we address several issues regarding problem or antisocial behavior in
adolescents. First, we discuss conceptualizations of adolescent problem behavior to answer the
question “What do we think we know so far?” Then, we briefly characterize
current interventions designed to reduce these behaviors, and their relative success in doing so.
Next, we examine earlier attempts to prevent and ameliorate problem behavior (including juvenile
delinquency), situating them in the historical context of America from the turn of the century to
World War II. Here, we attempt to answer the questions “How did we get to where we
are?” and “How can we learn from the past?” Following this, we try to
answer the question “Where do we go from here?” and articulate some research
and policy implications relevant to developmental psychopathology that arise from these
considerations. We argue that problem behavior is viewed most productively in its double aspect,
which John Hughlings Jackson called a “double symptom,” with the positive aspect
of the symptom reflecting adolescents' attempts to satisfy their developmental needs.