Lecture 1: Introduction
- Most formative life phase impacts the rest of their lives
- Drivers of change & innovation in society
History
- No adolescence, just tiny adults
- 20th century adolescence was born
o Recapitulation theory each phase of evolution of humans
corresponds with phases of individual development
o Studying childhood = studying evolution
Longer adolescence
- Adolescence starts earlier (decline in mean age menarchy)
- Adulthood starts later (social milestones later achieved)
- More time spend in adolescence
Youth development in context
- Different contexts with different interactions and impacts on youth
development
- Bronfenbrenner transactional model
Risky play
- Positive influence on child development
o Good for children to learn
- Today’s society risk averting
o On different levels there are different reasons why
- Children are active agents in their own development
- Parents, professionals and policymakers determine what is risky play
Lecture 2: Risk behavior
Health paradox
- Adolescence is physically the healthiest time of life prior to adult declines
- But: morbidity and mortality rates increase by 200-300%
o Reason: risk behavior & age crime curve
, Age crime curve
- In adolescence is a peak in small criminal behavior
- Temporary increase in number of people involved in antisocial behavior and
then decline
- Adult risk behavior requires childhood risk behavior, but childhood risk
behavior is no guarantee for adult risk behavior.
- Peak can be explained by the large group of people who show adolescence
limited anti-social behavior
Adolescence limited (AL)
- Characterized by late start, mild delinquency, temporary and normative (part
of development).
- Behavior is common, transient, near normative and situational
- Sociological
- Different risk factors: maturity gap, mimicry of LCP group and reinforcement
- AL is a by-product of modernization rise of adolescence led to maturity gap
resulting in AL risk behavior
Life course persistent (LCP)
- Characterized by early start, serious delinquency and the behavior is
persistent.
- Behavior is rare, persistent, pervasive and pathological
- Psychological and biological
- Different risk factors: difficult temperament/behavior, comorbidity, family
adversity
- Risk factors are strengthened trough interaction with environment:
o Evocative LCP evoking particular reactions of other persons in
various situations
o Reactive LCP reacting stronger in specific situations or towards
specific people
o Proactive LCP seeking/selecting specific situations or creating
specific situations
AL & LCP
- Because of the similarity in delinquency behavior in AL and LCP during
adolescence, longitudinal studies are important.
- Difference between the two group was discovered with the emergence of
adolescence
- Not every adolescent shows delinquent behavior (abstainers)
o Skip maturity gap
o No opportunities mimicking LCP role models
- Importance