Character development among youth

Abstract

This article embeds the study of character development within the two-decades-long research program framed by the Lerner and Lerner model of positive youth development. Character development involves attaining the feelings, thoughts, and skills needed to act coherently across time and place to serve self and others in mutually beneficial, positive ways. Research in the U.S. and other nations suggests that there are three key features of successful character development initiatives for children and adolescents: Mentors and models, skill-building opportunities, and opportunities to participate in and to take a leadership role in valued family, school, and community activities. Implications of this research include the idea that character development can be the foundation on which other key facets of a person’s thriving can be built (e.g., competence, confidence, connection, and caring), and can provide a key basis for enabling every young person to contribute positively to their own lives and to the enhancement of their families, schools, and communities.

Civic Participation Profiles and Predictors Among French-Canadian Youths Transitioning Into Adulthood: A Person-Centered Study

“…Furthermore, the differential contribution of distinctive attitudinal dispositions (e.g., civic attitudes, altruistic orientation) when it comes to predicting CP profiles also remains unknown. Given that several specialists have previously theorized that individual attributes may be the most powerful predictors of civic identity among young adults (Vráblíková & Císař, 2015;Flanagan & Levine, 2010;Johnson et al, 2014;Lerner, 2018), it appeared essential to include these variables in our design. Finally, the predictive effects of the aforementioned contextual and individual attributes on CP profile membership have never been examined simultaneously within a single model.…”

Did I Inherit My Moral Compass? Examining Socialization and Evocative Mechanisms for Virtuous Character Development

“…Virtuous character encompasses behaviors, cognitions, and motivations that make a person a "moral agent" within their social world and allows a person to achieve the highest potential (Berkowitz & Bier, 2004;Cawley III, Martin, & Johnson, 2000;Lerner, 2017;Park, 2004). Virtuous character includes a wide range of behaviors, characteristics, and personality traits, including trustworthiness, empathy, and self-control.…”

“…These interventions, however, are only effective approximately half the time, with the lowest efficacy during adolescence (Berkowitz & Bier, 2007). In part, the modest efficacy of these interventions may be due to the lack of incorporating important parental behaviors during adolescence (Kasser, Ryan, Zax, & Sameroff, 1995;Lerner, 2017;Mahatmya & Lohman, 2012) and heritable influences (Knafo & Plomin, 2006b;Spengler, Gottschling, & Spinath, 2012;Zahn-Waxler, Robinson, & Emde, 1992) that shape the development of virtuous character behaviors. By examining both genetic and environmental influences on parenting and adolescent virtuous character behaviors as well as the pathways in which genetic and environmental influences contribute to their association, we will disentangle the underlying mechanisms driving these constructs and their association.…”

Psychological Engagement and Behavioral Activity Participation As Predictors of Positive Youth Development

“…Activity engagement research has extended from middle childhood and into the third decade of life, an age range in which PYD also applies (Lerner, 2018). Previously, researchers have found that different profiles of adolescents' sports participation and more frequent participation in a greater variety of activities were associated with overall PYD into late adolescence (Agans et al, 2014;Agans & Geldhof, 2012).…”