Salient self-conceptions in normal and deviant adolescents

The current study investigated whether differences in social cognition previously reported between normal and 'deviant' adolescents would also produce differences in their self-conceptions. High school students (N=119), delinquents (N=53) and adolescent psychiatric inpatients (N=33) gave 5 answers to the question 'Who Am I?' and their responses were coded using a modification of Gordon's classification scheme. Results showed few significant differences in self-conceptions between the groups. Moreover, these differences in self-conceptions could not be attributed to cognitive developmental differences between the groups. Rather the findings are discussed as reflecting the subjects' deviant social status. Deviant adolescents are seen as replacing social role/identities with antisocial role/identities.