Positive youth development programs such as those offered by Boy Scouts of America (BSA) provide sources of support and opportunities for leadership and character development. Programmatic experts from BSA collaborated with researchers to develop a visual theory of change (pathway model) for youth development in Scouts BSA and for adult volunteer…

Common ways to test associations between two repeatedly measured constructs have two primary limitations. Studies often report the average effects and ignore the heterogeneity. Independently interpreted autoregression and cross-lagged coefficients (i.e. local effects) may not match the holistic dynamic patterns (i.e. considering all coefficients…

Intentional Self-Regulation (ISR)--broadly defined, goal-directed behavior--is an important skill in promoting positive and adaptive development across the life span. The Selection-Optimization-Compensation (SOC) model of ISR describes goal directed behavior among children, adolescents, and adults. This study used an inductive and deductive…

The transitional years of early adulthood, with key tasks of identity and intimacy development, engender both opportunities and risks for well-being. We propose that the conceptualization and measurement of early adults' well-being can be improved through (a) an integration of ideas from developmental and psychological science on well-being, (b)…