Special Issue Introduction: Thriving Across the Adolescent Years: A View of the Issues

• NCJ Number: 247031
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 43 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2014 Pages: 859-868
• Author(s): Edmond P. Bowers; G. John Geldhof; Sara K. Johnson; Jacqueline V. Lerner; Richard M. Lerner
• Date Published: June 2014
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This special issue pertains to information derived from the recently completed eight waves of the 4-H Study of PYD, and presents findings about the relations between individual and contextual variables that are involved in the thriving process.

Abstract

Framed within a relational developmental systems model, the 4-H Study of positive youth development (PYD) explored the bases and implications of thriving across much of the second decade of life. This special issue pertains to information derived from the recently completed eight waves of the 4-H Study of PYD, and presents findings about the relations between individual and contextual variables that are involved in the thriving process. This introduction briefly reviews the historical background and the theoretical frame for the 4-H Study and describes its general methodology. The authors provide an overview of the articles in this special issue and discuss the ways in which the articles elucidate different facets of the thriving process. In addition, the authors discuss the implications of this research for future scholarship and for applications aimed at improving the life chances of diverse adolescents. Abstract published by arrangement with Springer.