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Problem Behavior Theory over the Years

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The Origins and Development of Problem Behavior Theory

Part of the book series: Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development ((ARAD))

Abstract

This chapter traces the development of Problem Behavior Theory from the early 1960s to the present and the influences on the author that were responsible for the initial framing of the theory and the various transformations it underwent as successive tests of its adequacy cumulated over time. It is both history of the theory and intellectual biography of the author. In each of the different versions of the theory, systems of variables that constituted the social context, the person, and behavior were articulated to account for variation in both problem and conventional behavior among adolescents and young adults. Figures representing the conceptual structure of each version of the theory, including the latest, are presented. The expansion of the theory to account for developmental change, to encompass adolescent health more broadly, and to establish its generality across age, gender, contexts of disadvantage, historical time, and national boundaries is the thread that runs through the topics in the chapter.

A strong, overly zealous commitment to one’s theory is important to scientific advancement.

Donald T. Campbell

Reprinted with permission from:

Jessor, R. (2014). Chapter 23: “Problem Behavior Theory: A half-century of research on adolescent behavior and development.” In R. M. Lerner, A. C. Petersen, R. K. Silbereisen & J. Brooks-Gunn (Eds.), The developmental science of adolescence: History through autobiography (pp. 239–256). New York: Psychology Press.

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Acknowledgments

I am indebted to my students and colleagues who have, over the years, contributed immensely to the work described in this chapter. Many are named in the citations and references, but to all of them I am grateful for their ideas and their efforts. Three colleagues, Frances M. Costa, John E. Donovan, and Mark S. Turbin, deserve special mention and warm appreciation for their involvement in our most recent research.

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  1. Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Richard Jessor

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Jessor, R. (2016). Problem Behavior Theory over the Years. In: The Origins and Development of Problem Behavior Theory. Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40886-6_2

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