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01-06-2014 | Editorial

Invited Commentary: Positive Youth Development and Human Complexity

Auteurs: Reed W. Larson, Steve P. Tran

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Youth and Adolescence | Uitgave 6/2014

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Abstract

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.
Voetnoten
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It also is essential to recognize that much of development is not conscious. The trillions of neurons in the human brain undergo ongoing processes of forming associations and pruning. We are intrigued, however, by new ideas that “multi-scale brain systems” work in coordination: that the functioning of higher level systems occurs on a foundation of prior associations and learning encoded outside of consciousness at these lower levels (Kinsbourne and Jordan 2009). We also note that the enormous amount of research that human brain subject to numerous blind spots, fallacies, and dispositions to bias. Humans are far from being entirely rationale creatures. Nonetheless, we think, the general task of positive development is to learn to navigate a complex existence—including both the external world and one’s internal psychology with the limited tools of the human brain (Larson 2011).
 
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Metagegevens
Titel
Invited Commentary: Positive Youth Development and Human Complexity
Auteurs
Reed W. Larson
Steve P. Tran
Publicatiedatum
01-06-2014
Uitgeverij
Springer US
Gepubliceerd in
Journal of Youth and Adolescence / Uitgave 6/2014
Print ISSN: 0047-2891
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-6601
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-014-0124-9