ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the evolution of deviant youth trajectories in the young people's own words so as to provide a phenomenological understanding of the trajectory in question. It focuses on delinquency and illicit drug use as two examples of the forms of youth deviance. They are considered to be part of a more or less deviant lifestyle, depending on the individuals and the evolution of their trajectory. The chapter demonstrates the importance of the elements of personal perception that the youths associate in their account with different points along their trajectory: childhood environment, adoption of a deviant lifestyle, its progression and regression. Many adolescents have a dual problem of drug use and delinquency. Indeed, drug use affects a large percentage of the institutionalized delinquent population, both adult and juvenile. Concerning adult drug addicts, studies have shown that beliefs, feelings or social representations could explain at least temporarily cessation of drug use.
