Aggressive behavior is intensified in adolescence in general, and is particularly
manifested in the behavior of maladjusted youth. For these youngsters the
normal stress associated with the developmental tasks of adolescence is amplified
by a sense of failure and lack of skills in almost all aspects of performance:
academic, social, and emotional. Maladapted adolescents have difficulty in being
self-reflective; they are unable or unwilling to consider the feelings, thoughts
and intentions of others, and they lack the skills to resolve interpersonal conflicts
(Dodge, 1991). They also show an extreme vulnerability to peer influence,
especially to the influence of those who operate by aggressive and delinquent
norms, and often they become violently resentful of authority (McCord, 1990).