Positive Adolescent Development: Relevance of Family Interventions

Abstract

Previous researches on children and adolescents have led to the increasedrecognition of the need for developmental interventions for promoting apositive development of children and adolescents. The 40 assets odelbrought out by the Search Institute and the positive youth developmentapproach added momentum to this move towards the well-being of thechild and adolescent than any problem oriented practice. India, being thehome for the largest adolescent population in the world, is shoulderingthe huge responsibility of helping its adolescents to develop as bothsuccessful and responsible adults who can then contribute to the buildingof the nation. India has declared their children as supreme assets of thecountry and the National Youth Policy recognizes the significance of
promoting a positive child and adolescent development. But the familywhich is the primary environment of the adolescent has often beenneglected in the case of interventions for positive adolescent development.A large volume of literature, irrespective of different cultures shows thatthe family plays a central role in the positive development of the adolescents.In this conceptual paper, the importance of positive adolescentdevelopment with regard to the existing literature is reviewed. Alsodiscussed here from an ecological systems perspective is the relevance offamily interventions for promoting positive adolescent development. Basedon the review of the existing literature, this article brings forth five focalareas of family centred interventions for promoting positive adolescent
development.