Toward an Integrative Paradigm of Positive Youth Development: Implications for Research, Practice, and Policy

Abstract

Positive youth development (PYD) has gained considerable traction among researchers and practitioners in promoting adolescent well-being and mental health. Several models have also been proposed in conceptualizing and measuring PYD, almost all of which were developed in individualistic and Western contexts. The abundance of overlapping PYD indicators from different models poses a challenge in further expanding the applicability of PYD in diverse cultural settings. Based on a review of major PYD paradigms (i.e., five/six/seven Cs model, 15 PYD constructs, and the 40 developmental assets framework), we propose an integrative paradigm of PYD, which organizes the different indicators of adolescent thriving into three clusters: (a) intrapersonal-immediate, (b) interpersonal-proximal, and (c) ecological-distal indicators. Building on prior empirically supported models of PYD, this paradigm aims to provide a common and unifying taxonomy among developmental scientists in conceptualizing and measuring adolescent thriving without neglecting the specificity of adolescent development in various ecologies. Future directions for PYD researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to advance the field are discussed.