2-084 - The Role of Risk in Positive Youth Development

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Adolescence is a developmental period marked by increased risk-taking. Most developmental research has focused on maladaptive or socially problematic risk-taking behaviors, such as delinquency and substance use, and their negative health consequences. But not all risks are bad. Many behaviors that are socially adaptive involve some element of uncertainty, or placing oneself at the risk of rejection or failure, particularly as adolescents navigate the complex tasks of exploring their identities, forming intimate relationships, and making increasingly high-stakes decisions about their futures. The current symposium is focused on how risk and risk-taking may contribute to positive aspects of adolescent development. The first presentation uses students’ planning for a high-stakes academic test as an opportunity to understand how an apparently “riskier” behavior—lacking a backup plan—may actually motivate higher performance. The second presentation examines a sample of adolescents from low socioeconomic status backgrounds and considers the question: are there patterns of risk-taking associated with positive social consequences. The third presentation explores how sensation seeking, a personality trait that inclines a person toward liking intense or dangerous experiences, is associated with prosocial risk-taking, such as initiating novel friendships and investing in unfamiliar classes and activities. Finally, the discussion will integrate this research along themes of fostering inherent strengths to encourage adaptive adolescent development. Taken together, these presentations inform the emerging literature linking risk-taking to positive development in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Sub Unit

• Developmental Psychopathology

Chair

• Megan W. Patterson, University of Texas at Austin

Discussant

• Karen E Johnson, University of Texas School of Nursing

Individual Presentations

• The risks and rewards of backup plans for educational goals - Presenting Author: Christopher M Napolitano, University of Zurich; Alexandra M Freund, University of Zurich

• Does a Reasonably-Risky Pathway Make for a Well-Rounded Teen? - Presenting Author: Kathryn Modecki, Griffith Unviversity; Kira McCabe, Griffith University; Vanderbilt University; Bonnie Barber, Griffith Unviversity

• Sex-Specific Pathways Between Sensation Seeking, Delinquency, and Positive Risk-Taking in Adolescence - Presenting Author: Megan W. Patterson, University of Texas at Austin; Frank Mann, University of Texas at Austin; Andrew Grotzinger, University of Texas at Austin; Jennifer Tackett, Northwestern University; Elliot M Tucker-Drob, University of Texas at Austin; K. Paige Harden, University of Texas at Austin