Invited Commentary: Positive Youth Development and Human Complexity

The process of positive development for adolescents includes struggling to address a wide variety of complex, often unstated bio-psycho-social-cultural challenges. These include formulating workable values, learning self-regulation, preparation for adult work roles—and innumerable other un-tidy puzz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of youth and adolescence 2014-06, Vol.43 (6), p.1012-1017
Main Authors: Larson, Reed W., Tran, Steve P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
21st century
Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior - psychology
Adolescent Development
Adolescents
Adults
Behavior Problems
Behavioral Research
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Brain research
Child and School Psychology
Child development
Clinical Psychology
Cognitive Development
Developmental psychology
Developmental Tasks
Editorial
Health Psychology
History of Psychology
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Law and Psychology
Learner Engagement
Learning
Longitudinal Studies
Models, Psychological
Morality
Psychological Theory
Psychology
Psychology, Adolescent
Qualitative research
Research Design
Researchers
Risk-Taking
Skills
System theory
Systems Approach
Teenagers
United States
Values
Variables
Young Adults
Youth
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Summary:The process of positive development for adolescents includes struggling to address a wide variety of complex, often unstated bio-psycho-social-cultural challenges. These include formulating workable values, learning self-regulation, preparation for adult work roles—and innumerable other un-tidy puzzles. Variable-based research can only scratch the surface of how youth go about these processes; nonetheless, systematic longitudinal research like this can provide valuable information about developmental pathways and directions of change. Highlights from these papers include the finding that older youth report more goals aimed at meaningful connection with others and contributing to society; yet also that moral character did not differ by age. The papers suggest that relationships adults, hope, school engagement, participation in out-of-school programs, and intentional self-regulation can serve as mediators of positive development. Yet, a striking finding was that comparatively few youth in the study manifest a pattern of change marked by the coupling of increases in positive youth development and decreases in risk/problem behavior. We believe there is much beneath the surface to be uncovered.
ISSN:0047-2891
1573-6601
DOI:10.1007/s10964-014-0124-9