Individuals as Producers of Their Development: Conceptual and Empirical Bases

Lerner, Richard M.; Busch-Rossnagel, Nancy A.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-444550-5.50008-0

Cited by 185 publications

(140 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…I (Reed) and my collaborators-among whom Steve Tran is now an important contributor-have learned from and have many points of intersection with the Lerners' work. A priority in my research on positive youth development, borrowed from Rich Lerner (and Piaget, Dewey, and other forefounders) is understanding the role young people play as creative ''producers'' of their own development (Larson 2000;Lerner and Busch-Rossnagel 1981). Alone and through conversations with others, youth are conscious agents developing knowledge, skills, and values for making their way in a complex world.…”

Section: Our Perspective On Positive Youth Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invited Commentary: Positive Youth Development and Human Complexity

Larson

Tran

2014

J Youth Adolescence

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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.

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Section: Our Perspective On Positive Youth Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invited Commentary: Positive Youth Development and Human Complexity

Larson

Tran

2014

J Youth Adolescence

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“…Most scholars working in this area agree that engagement is the critical vehicle of positive development. This includes psychological engagement in which youth are challenged, motivated, and devote deep attention to being successful in the activity (Csikszentmihalyi, Rathunde, & Whalen, 1993;Larson, 2000), and through which they become active producers of their own development (Lerner, 2004;Lerner & Busch-Rossnagel, 1981;Silbereisen, Eyferth, & Rudinger, 1986). This also includes engagement in relationships.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescents’ Negative Experiences in Organized Youth Activities

Dworkin¹

2007

JYD

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Abstract:Research indicates that organized youth activities are most often a context of positive development. However, there is a smaller body of evidence suggesting that these activities are sometimes a context of negative experiences that may impede learning or lead to dropping out. To better understand negative experiences in youth activities, we conducted ten focus groups with adolescents. Youths' descriptions provide an overview of the range of types of negative experiences they encountered, as well as how they responded to them. The most frequent types of negative experiences involved peers and peer group dynamics and aversive behavior attributed to the adult leaders of the activities. The youth described two types of responses to their negative experiences -a passive response of feeling negative emotions, and active coping, which sometimes led to learning.

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“…Psychological action-theoretical approaches are based on the assumption that people can be understood as agents able to intentionally initiate, maintain, and terminate goal-related behaviors. Life-span developmental psychology embraced this approach when proposing that development could be understood as an interplay of actively creating and reacting to one's environment (e.g., Baltes, 1987;Brandtstädter, 1998;Lawton, 1989;Lerner & Busch-Rossnagel, 1981). Thus, an action-theoretical approach to SOC views goals as the main unit of analysis for conceptualizing and understanding development.…”

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confidence: 99%

Successful Aging as Management of Resources: The Role of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation

Freund

2008

Research in Human Development

197

155

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Successful aging as management of resources: The role of selection, optimization, and compensation Successful aging as management of resources: The role of selection, optimization, and compensation AbstractOne of the central tenets of life-span psychology is that the process of development entails gains and losses that occur over the entire life span. Thus, Paul and Margret Baltes (1990) conceptualized successful aging as a lifelong process of maximizing gains and minimizing losses by means of three processes: selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC). This article reviews empirical studies that have investigated the use of SOC during adulthood with different methodological approaches and have found evidence for the importance of SOC for successfully managing one's resources. The article highlights the importance of prioritizing goals (selection) according to their importance for increasing gains (optimization) and avoiding losses (compensation) in consideration of currently available resources. Age-related changes in resource availability and time perspective can also result in a shift in goal orientation towards gains or losses and in goal focus on the process or the outcome of goal pursuit. Taken together, the action-theoretical approach to the SOC framework suggests that selection, optimization, and compensation can be seen as key concepts for understanding successful aging. Department of Psychology, University of ZurichOne of the central tenets of life-span psychology is that the process of development entails gains and losses that occur over the entire life span. Thus, Paul and Margret Baltes (1990) conceptualized successful aging as a lifelong process of maximizing gains and minimizing losses by means of three processes: selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC). This article reviews empirical studies that have investigated the use of SOC during adulthood with different methodological approaches and have found evidence for the importance of SOC for successfully managing one's resources. The article highlights the importance of prioritizing goals (selection) according to their importance for increasing gains (optimization) and avoiding losses (compensation) in consideration of currently available resources. Age-related changes in resource availability and time perspective can also result in a shift in goal orientation towards gains or losses and in goal focus on the process or the outcome of goal pursuit. Taken together, the action-theoretical approach to the SOC framework suggests that selection, optimization, and compensation can be seen as key concepts for understanding successful aging.

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Individuals as Producers of Their Development: Conceptual and Empirical Bases

Cited by 185 publications

References 45 publications

Invited Commentary: Positive Youth Development and Human Complexity

Invited Commentary: Positive Youth Development and Human Complexity

Adolescents’ Negative Experiences in Organized Youth Activities

Successful Aging as Management of Resources: The Role of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation

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