(PHD) Across the Life Span: Relational Developmental Systems-Based - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Promoting Positive Human Development (PHD) Across the Life Span: Relational Developmental Systems-Based Models, Individual Context Relations, and Relative Plasticity

Jacqueline V. Lerner Boston College and Richard M. Lerner Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development Tufts University

THE THE FOC OCUS US OF OF DEV EVEL ELOPM OPMENT ENTAL SC SCIENC ENCE

Developmental science involves the description, explanation, and optimization of intraindividual change and of interindividual differences in intraindividual change across the life span:

• Today, the cutting-edge of theory in developmental science

involves the use of the relational developmental systems (RDS) metatheory to frame all theoretical models of human development;

• These models constitute the frame for all current models of

positive (healthy, adaptive) human development (PHD) across the life span (e.g., Brandtstädter, 1998, 2006; Freund, et al., 2013; Lerner, Lerner, Bowers, & Geldhof, 2015).

RELATIONAL DEVELOPMENTAL SYSTEMS (RDS) THEORIES

• The contributions of

Willis F. Overton

• The sun has set on split,

reductionist accounts stressing nature or nurture

• RDS theories provides the frame for the other

dimensions of scholarly advances that mark the status of developmental science in 2016

Rela elational ional Development elopmental al Systems ems Models

• dels
• All levels of organiza

zati tion with thin th the ecology of huma man developme ment, t, from m biology/p /physiology th through cultu ture, th the physical ecology, and histo tory, are inte tegrate ted and coact coact

• Developme

ment t across life involves mu mutu tually influenti tial individual  conte text t relati tions

• Inte

tegrate ted individual  conte text t relati tions are th the basic unit t of analysis with thin huma man developme ment

• Ti

Time me (histo tori rical change, eith ther r norma mati tive or r non-norma mati tive) contributes to systematic change (“plasticity”) in human developme ment

• Because of plasti

ticity ty, scienti tists ts and practi titi tioners can be

• pti

timi misti tic th that t sound applicati tions of developme menta tal research can promo mote te positi tive huma man developme ment, t, for r examp mple, characte ter r virtu tues or r contr tributi tions to to civil society ty.

THE THE SA SAMPLE PLE CASE SE OF OF THE THE POSI POSITIVE TIVE YOU OUTH TH DEV EVEL ELOPM OPMENT ENT (PYD (PYD) ) PER PERSPEC SPECTIVE TIVE

The P he PYD Per erspect pectiv ive: e: Six C ix Cor

• re

e Concept

• ncepts

1. Because of the potential to change, all youth have strengths. 2. All contexts have strengths as well. These strengths are resources that may be used to promote positive youth development. 3. These resources are termed “developmental assets”. They are the “social nutrients” needed for healthy development.

The P he PYD Per erspect pectiv ive: e: Six C ix Cor

• re

e Concept

• ncepts

4. These assets are found in families, schools, faith institutions, youth serving

• rganizations, and the community more

generally. 5. If the strengths of youth are combined with ecological developmental assets, then positive, healthy development may

• ccur.

6. We should be optimistic that it is in our power to promote positive development among ALL youth and to create more asset-rich settings supporting such development among ALL youth.

THE LE HE LERNER NER AND ND LERN LERNER MOD ODEL L OF OF THE HE P PYD P PROC OCESS

• PYD is optimized when youth strengths are aligned

with ecological resources (developmental assets)

• Intentional Self Regulation and Hope are key strengths
• f youth
• Individuals, institutions, collective activity, and access

are key ecological developmental assets

• “Five C’s” of PYD are the outcomes of youth

context relations

• Thriving youth contribute to their context
• Contribution is the 6th C of PYD

TH THE E LER LERNER ER & LER LERNER ER RELA ELATI TIONAL L DEV EVEL ELOPMEN PMENTAL L SY SYST STEMS EMS MO MODEL EL OF F PY PYD

PYD

Competence Confidence Character Caring Connection

Ecological Assets

Individual Strengths

Contribution

Reduced Risk Behavior

THE LERNER & & LERNER MO MODEL OF PYD: AS INSTANTIATED WIT WITHIN THE 4-H STUDY OF POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPME MENT

TIME

+ _

Adaptive Developmental Regulations Broader Ecology of Human Development

?

Wha hat t We Ha e Have e Le Lear arne ned d Abo bout ut PY PYD To D

• Date:

te:

A Brief Overview of Findings from the 4-H Study of PYD

TH THE E 4-H H ST STUD UDY O Y OF F PO POSITIVE SITIVE YOU OUTH TH DEVEL DEVELOP OPMEN ENT

WI WITH TH GR GRATITU TITUDE E TO: O:

• Don Floyd, President and CEO of the

National 4-H Council

• The Altria Corporation

THEIR VISION, VALUES, LEADERSHIP, AND SUPPORT CREATED THE FIELD OF PYD

Acr Across

• ss Gr

Grades ades 5 to 5 to 12, w 12, we samp e sampled led about bout 7,000 7,000 youth

• uth and 3,500

and 3,500 par parents ents fr from

• m 42

42 sta states tes

.The 4-H Study uses a form of a cohort-

sequential longitudinal design:

• Youth were first surveyed in 5th Grade
• New students were added each year
• We also studied these new students longitudinally
• Therefore, the sample size increases across the

study

• A subgroup of participants was assessed

two years post high school

DESIGN OF THE 4-H STUDY

MEASUR UREMENT NT IN T N THE HE S STUD UDY OF P OF PYD

.

 The Five Cs of PYD*  Youth th Str trength ths

• Intentional Self Regulation: The “SOC” Model**
• School Engageme

ment* t*

• Hope for

r a Positi tive Futu ture*  Ecological Assets ts

• Individuals, Insti

titu tuti tions, Youth th-Adult t Collaborati tions, Access*  Contr tributi tion: Acti tive and Engaged Citi tizenship*  Risk/Problem m Behaviors

* Develo elope ped d by by IARYD res esea earche hers **Adapt dapted ed and and de developed eloped by by I IARYD r res esear earcher hers

.

PYD

Competence Confidence Character Caring Connection

• Inte

tenti tional self regulati tion (ISR SR) positi tively predicts ts PY PYD and Contri tributi tion and negati tively predicts ts Risk/Pr /Problem m behaviors

• Hope for

r th the futu ture is associate ted with th high ISR SR, PY PYD, and Contri tributi tion and with th low ri risk behaviors and depressive symp mpto toms ms

• Sc

School En Engageme ment, t, which is comp mposed of behavioral, emo moti tional, and cogniti tive comp mponents ts is associate ted with th bette tter r self-reporte ted grades, higher r ISR SR, and lower r involveme ment t in delinquency and substa tance use

• Key Ecological Assets

ts Promo moti ting PYD are:

1. 1. In Indivi viduals in the lives s of youth, su such as s me mentors, s, fa fami mily y me memb mbers, s, and teachers 2. 2. Phys ysical and inst stitutional reso sources, s, su such as s sc schools s and commu mmunity y programs ms 3. 3. Youth engageme ment, with people and inst stitutions s in their envi vironme ments 4. 4. The access ssibility of people and inst stitutions s in the envi vironme ments s of youth

• Across fami

mily, school, and commu mmunity ty sett ttings, and wi with thin and across grades, INDIVIDUALS are always th the mo most t imp mporta tant t asset t in predicti ting PYD and Contr tributi tion

• Con

Contribution is s a key y outcome me of PYD YD, and involves s Act Active and Engaged Ci Citizensh ship: Ci Civi vic duty, Ci Civi vic sk skills, s, Ne Neighborhood so social connection, and Ci Civi vic participation

• Within and across

ss grades, s, Con Contribution is s asso ssociated with IS ISR, R, Ho Hope, and PYD YD

• IS

ISR, R, Ho Hope, and PYD YD are negatively y related to Ri Risk sk/Problem Beh Behaviors s within and across ss grades

• There are also

so diverse se comb mbinations s of posi sitive and problema matic trajectories: s: Des Despite a general inverse se relation between posi sitive and problema matic behavi viors, s, so some me youth ma may y sh show very y different developme mental pathways, ys, for inst stance, increase ses in both posi sitive and problema matic behavi viors

• High

High levels s of youth st strengths s (e.g. (e.g., IS ISR) R) and high levels s of ecological asse ssets s (e.g. (e.g., su sust stained me mentoring) ) place youth on the mo most st favorable trajectories

• Relative plasticity exists across adolescence
• Op

Optimi mism m about enhancing youth developme ment is warranted

• Promo

motion and prevention should be the focus of programs ms

• A mu

multi-part specificity question (Bornstein, 2006, in press) is therefore needed in evidence-based youth programs

• ms. For

examp mple:

• Wha

hat spec pecif ific ic char haract acter eristic ics of

• f int

intraindiv aindividua idual change; hange; in in rela elation ion to

• Wha

hat specif pecific ic cont context xtual ual char haract acter eris istics ics, , for

• r
• Wha

hat spec pecif ific ic yout

• uth,

h, wil ill l le lead ad to

• Wha

hat spec pecif ific ic out

• utcom

comes es, , thr hroug

• ugh

h

• Wha

hat specif pecific ic int inter ervent ention

• n pr

prog

• grams

ams, , dur during ing

• Wha

hat spec pecif ific ic por portio ions ns of

• f o
• nt

ntoge

• geny

ny?

IMPLI LICATIONS ONS OF OF THE HE 4-H S H STUD UDY OF P OF PYD

In agreement with Overton (2015):

• The Cartesian-split-mechanistic scientific paradigm has been

progressively failing as a scientific research program

• RDS accounts for the findings that are anomalies for the old

paradigm and accounts for new findings (e.g., from the 4-H Study of PYD)

• RDS points the way to future scientific productivity

CONCLUSIONS

• The need to

to produce scholarship th that t ma matt tters in th the real world ma makes s Kurt t Lewin’s (1952, p. 169) aphorism, that “There is nothing so practical as a good theory,” an empirical reality.

• Developme

menta tal science wi will be judged on wheth ther r its ts th theory and me meth thods capita talize on th the relati tive plasti ticity ty of huma man developme ment t and promo mote te posi siti tive huma man developme ment t – social justi tice –across th the life span for r th the diverse people of th the world.

CONCLUSIONS

THANK YOU !