The attributions and responses of aggressive and nonaggressive boys to ambiguously intended actions of friends and nonfriends were examined. Thirty-seven aggressive and 37 nonaggressive third-and fifth-grade boys were presented with descriptions of encounters between peers in which one child experienced a negative outcome as the result of the ambiguously intended actions of another. Neither aggressive nor nonaggressive subjects were influenced by the presence or absence of friendship between themselves and the child whose behavior they were asked to interpret or respond to. Aggressive subjects attributed more hostile intent than nonaggressive subjects when the objectionable action was directed at themselves but not when directed at others. Both groups of subjects predicted less hostile responses by themselves than by others. Although a significant degree of consistency was found between subjects' attributions and responses, it was also true that most hostile responses were predicted following nonhostile attributions. This finding is inconsistent with an attributionally based explanation of hostile reactive behavior.

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This article presents results from a survey of ethical beliefs about practice dilemmas unique to clinical work with children and adolescents. Survey data suggest that identical practices are not always ethically equivalent, particularly when the developmental status of the client is varied. The survey also reveals widespread ambiguity about what constitutes ethical practice, as manifested both in individual uncertainty and in the absence of group consensus. Ethically guided clinical practice is presented as a far more complex undertaking than adherence to a single set of professional standards.

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