Sanae was placed in care in infancy and had almost no contact with her parents. At age 11, she was often physically aggressive with boys, and had relatively problematic relationships with female peers. During participant observation, Sanae’s behavior sometimes appeared out-of-control, for example, she hit the wall and swore without any apparent provocation. During the summer camp, however, when Sanae had the opportunity to contribute to others, she behaved in a mature and responsible manner. She led recreational activities as a member of Kodomo-kai within the institution, carefully organized the activities so that they went well, voluntarily helped to serve meals and clean up tables, and took care of preschool-aged children. During the summer camp, no aggressive behavior from Sanae was observed. Afterwards, Mr. Tanaka who mimamuru (ed) children during the camp remarked to me, “She did a great job. Sanae demonstrated good leadership. She is growing up to be a nice girl.”

Sachiko’s field note