Using a social constructionist approach, this study explores the self-perceptions of young men who, when at school, were classed as boys with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). The aim is to understand how these perceptions were forged throughout the young men's life-courses resulting in changing self-identities. The study also explores how, through the language that the participants employed, they made it possible for different aspects of their socialization to influence their ability to influence the development of their lives, especially when making decisions such as choosing a particular partner or deciding to stop taking drugs. This study indicates participants acting on their own appraisals of their identity in forging opportunities and highlights their perceptions of the influence of different agents of socialization on how they turned out as adults. (Contains 1 table.)