Hindsight in the 2020s: Looking back and forward to positive youth development and thriving.

Spirituality as a key asset in promoting positive youth development: Advances in research and practice

“…Building on this factor structure, Dowling et al (2004) then sought to examine the relationship between religiosity (i.e., adherence to a particular religion), spirituality (i.e., taking something to be transcendent or of great value), and thriving and found that spirituality's impact on thriving was moderated by religiosity, and spirituality had a direct effect on thriving, thus demonstrating its importance as a stand-alone asset for youth within the PYD framework. In the 20 years after Dowling et al (2003), researchers have sought to build on this distinction, with King and Mangan (2022) leveraging the empirical importance of spirituality as a stand-alone asset motivating what they term "aspirational development" (p. 488). Aspirational development is oriented toward a cohesive meaning-making process where adolescents and young adults discern their other-oriented purpose through an examination of personal, contextual, and historical motivators; spirituality is one asset anchoring this discernment process.…”

Neurodiversity and Thriving: A Case Study in Theology-Informed Psychology

“…46 Thriving as a reciprocating self entails ongoing individual, relational, and aspirational development. 47 Thriving emphasises an approach to human development that draws on organismic and epigenetic theory and holism. 48 As an organismic approach, thriving is predicated on the idea of plasticity and growth through ongoing cycles of growing in complexity, integration, and differentiation that result in structural changes.…”

“…47 Thriving emphasises an approach to human development that draws on organismic and epigenetic theory and holism. 48 As an organismic approach, thriving is predicated on the idea of plasticity and growth through ongoing cycles of growing in complexity, integration, and differentiation that result in structural changes. 49 Thus, all persons have the capacity to grow and change.…”

“…This dynamic understanding of the reciprocating self conceptualises telos without being deterministic and offers a constructive, flexible framework allowing psychological scientists and practitioners to consider various approaches to research and interventions in regard to what ends they are promoting. 56 Therefore, this teleological approach considers the unique strengths and vulnerabilities of each person that is sensitive to both intercultural variation and neurodiversity.…”

“…We then provide an overview of some of the traditional epistemological and theoretical limitations within psychology and discuss newer teleological perspectives in order to present thriving as a framework for understanding the unique potential of the developmental trajectories of individuals embedded in complex and changing systems. In short, thriving is adaptive growth towards purpose which requires ongoing individual, relational, and aspirational development, 28 and Volf's conceptualization of purpose is a 'homecoming' bringing creation and creator into unity through Christ.…”