This paper provides a brief overview of the basic concept and research techniques that have been used in the empirical testing of the coercion theory and the significance of that theory in the research of antisocial behaviour of young persons. The coercion theory belongs to social interactive approaches and the researches that take it as a starting point emphasise the influence of parental behaviour (parental control, disciplining) and peer behaviour (deviance training). The differences between young persons with early and late appearance of delinquent behaviour are particularly pointed out. The research is mainly of a longitudinal type, on the samples from the population at risk, and it is based on direct observation, assessments of close persons and self-assessments. The paper presents the development of the theory from the postulates, the first cognitions towards the interventions that consequently led to the enhancement of the theory. Also, the most famous explanations of the differentiation between young persons with early and late appearance of delinquent behaviour are compared. The coercion theory emphasises the importance of the family traits, especially the importance of the parental behaviour for early appearance, and the substantiation of the deviant behaviour by the peers as a model for the late appearance, while the neuropsychological model of the male delinquency points out to the importance of poorer cognitive functioning, hyperactivity and impulsiveness for the early appearance, and the needs of young people to identify and fit into the peer group for the late appearance of the delinquent behaviour.