Thriving is a condition beyond mere survival, implying growth and
positive development.
Youth development
The synthesis of existing lines of research has given a lens through which to view research, theory, and practice in the field of
youth development. Whereas
positive youth development theory has focused on resiliency and competence, thriving encourages youth development researchers, scholars, and practitioners to view
youth
Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Yo ...
as community and social assets to be nurtured and developed. 4-H Center for Youth Development researchers, Heck, Subramaniam, and Carlos (2010), capture it this way: “Thriving is intentional and purposeful. It connotes optimal development across a variety of life domains, such as social, academic and professional/career development, towards a positive purpose.”
Thriving in youth is an upward trajectory marked by: The knowledge of and ability to tap into inner sources of motivation, o
spark(Benson, 2008); an incremental,
growth mindset
Mindset is an "established set of attitudes, esp. regarded as typical of a particular group's social or cultural values; the outlook, philosophy, or values of a person; (now also more generally) frame of mind, attitude, ecte: anddisposition." ...
oriented towards learning (Dweck, 2006); and the goal management skills necessary to succeed and grow. Youth who are on the path to reaching their fullest potential possess the following indicators of thriving: Love of learning; life skills; healthy habits; emotional competence; social skills; positive relationships; spiritual growth; character; caring; confidence; persistent resourcefulness; and purpose.
Despite the concept of thriving having existed in clinical and medical literature and research for many years, its application to positive youth development has evolved more recently. Starting in 2000, th
Thrive Foundation for Youthstimulated a study of thriving within the field of positive youth development. Making significant investments in scientific research to define thriving in youth and ways that caring adults can encourage youth thriving trajectories. The Thrive Foundation for Youth funded prominent scientists in the field of positive youth development to define thriving and indicators of thriving.
Th
University of California 4-H Youth Development Programis the first youth development organization in the country to utilize the thriving framework and concepts on a large scale basis, focusing on statewide
youth-adult partnership training and positive youth outcome evaluation.
See also
*
Eudaimonia
*
Failure to thrive
Failure to thrive (FTT), also known as weight faltering or faltering growth, indicates insufficient weight gain or absence of appropriate physical growth in children. FTT is usually defined in terms of weight, and can be evaluated either by a low ...
*
Well-being
Well-being, or wellbeing, also known as wellness, prudential value or quality of life, refers to what is intrinsically valuable relative ''to'' someone. So the well-being of a person is what is ultimately good ''for'' this person, what is in th ...
*
Child rearing
Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for a biol ...
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Juvenile delinquency in the United States
Juvenile delinquency in the United States refers to crimes committed by children or young people, particularly those under the age of eighteen (or seventeen in some states).
Juvenile delinquency has been the focus of much attention since the 1 ...
References
Further reading
* Benson, P. L., & Scales, P. C. (in press). “The Definition and Measurement of Thriving in Adolescence.” Journal of Positive Psychology.
* Damon, W. (2008). "The Path to Purpose." New York: Free Press.
* King, P. E.; Dowling, E. M.; Mueller, R. A.; White, K.; Schultz, W.; Osborn, P.; Dickerson, E.; Bobeck, D. L.; Lerner, R. M.; Benson, P. L.; & Scales, P. C. (2005). “Thriving in Adolescence: The Voices of Youth-Serving Practitioners, Parents, and Early and Late Adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 25, 94–112.
* Lerner, R. (2007). "The Good Teen." New York: Three Rivers Press.
* Scales, P. C., & Benson, P. L. (2005). “Adolescence and Thriving.” In C. B. Fisher & R. M. Lerner, Eds., Encyclopedia of Applied Developmental Science, vol. I (pp. 15–19). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
* Scales, P. C., Benson, P. L., Leffert, N., & Blyth, D. A. (2000). “Contribution of Developmental Assets to the Prediction of Thriving among Adolescents.” Applied Developmental Science, 4, 27–46.
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Youth work
Child development