Notes that, although a great deal is known about affective relations between mothers and young children and affective expression in marital dyads, relatively little is known about emotional development during adolescence. Briefly discusses the studies presented in this issue that represent an integration of work currently being conducted on affect…

Noting that examination of emotions in adolescence from a treatment or intervention perspective is unusual, this article discusses the emotions in adolescence literature from the vantage point of a particular, empirically tested family-based intervention model, multidimensional family therapy. Demonstrates how research-based concepts guide…

Reviews six books on developmental psychology: (1) "Children and Violence" (David Reiss and others); (2) "Television and the American Child" (George Comstock); (3) "Intellectual Development" (Robert Sternberg and Cynthia Berg); (4) "Context and Development" (Robert Cohen and Alexander Siegel); (5) "Adolescent Identity Formation" (Gerald Adams and…

Examined the association between psychosocial development and the timing of first sexual intercourse in a sample of white, rural adolescents. Two theoretical models were tested. For both boys and girls, early timing of first sexual intercourse was associated with longitudinal patterns of greater transition proneness and poorer psychosocial…

Considers major social changes that have affected adolescent development in the latter part of the twentieth century, including changes in the labor market, family structure, attitudes toward race and gender, sexuality, mental health, and social exclusion. Suggests ways the behavior and development of young people will change in response. (JPB)

Principals of all 14,107 middle-level schools in the U.S. were invited to participate in the year 2000 online survey. More than 1,400 responded. Responses are compared with previous studies conducted in 1965; 1980, and 1992. Discusses the implications and recommendations for recruiting, initial training, and continuing professional development of…

Spiritual development in adolescents is marked by the search for meaning, longing for solitude, urge for transcendence, hunger for joy, creative drive, and hunger for rites of passage. Educators can foster spiritual development by creating an environment where students can explore these yearnings and make connections within themselves, to other…

Examined impact of peer experience on seventh graders' strategies for coping with peer hassles. Found that more aggressive adolescents perceived more control over hassles. More aggressive, unpopular adolescents used more negative strategies; more popular aggressive females used more problem-focused strategies. Withdrawn adolescents perceived less…

Assessed readiness to be or stay physically active among 5th and 6th graders using the Stage of Change paradigm. Student surveys indicated that 40% were in the precontemplation stage and 60% were in post-action stages. Significantly more boys than girls were in maintenance, and more girls than boys were in contemplation. Attitudes toward physical…

Structured narrative has grown out of the tradition that uses writing in counseling. This article presents the theory and practice that underlie a structured narrative writing intervention, "A Write Way," used to orient and help students develop more effective learning stories during their transition into high school. It can be adapted to…

Examined extent to which demographics, students' personal resources, and family resources predicted stable or lowered educational expectations from eighth grade to 2 years post-high school. Found that predictors of lost talent or lowered expectations over time included low SES and racial group membership. External locus of control predicted lost…

Examined the role of parents acting as a social influence on 11- to 16-year-olds' self-knowledge about competence at academic activities. Found that parent- adolescent agreement was stronger with mothers than fathers and for aspects of self-knowledge that make direct inferences about abilities rather than indirect inferences. Results were similar…

Examined risk factors associated with acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among adolescents. Found that demographic factors were associated with being sexually experienced, but few demographics were associated with specific STD-related risk behaviors. Knowledge was not associated with any risk behaviors. Use of alcohol and drugs was…

Describes person-based follow-back design and narrative analyses to examine young adult developmental adaptation despite serious prior risks and adversity. Describes identification of competent young adults and narrative analysis method. Presents preliminary findings detailing content and structural themes involving individual constructions of…

Social identity theory (SIT) was used to investigate effects of social categorization on adolescents' intergroup behaviour. Participants displayed consistent ingroup-favouring behaviour in their ratings: the ingroup was associated to a greater extent than the outgroup with positively valued dimensions, and to a lesser extent with negatively valued…