Risk Taking in Adolescents and Relevant Factors

Abstract

Adolescence is a second sensitive period and an important stage for a person to become independent from the family and form self-awareness. Adolescents at this stage of development tend to explore different areas when establishing independence and autonomy. Due to hormonal changes, adolescents may increase the number of risky behaviors, which may have positive or negative effects. This article will examine the key factors that influence adolescent risk-taking behaviors from three distinct perspectives. Firstly, the article will examine the influence of the adolescent's surrounding environment on their risk-taking behavior. It will delve into how the environment shapes the adolescent's personality and if blind obedience leads to risk-taking behavior. Secondly, it will delve into the impact of whether parents encourage their children to develop independent personalities and their role in resolving parent-child conflicts. Lastly, it will delve into how the adolescent's internal patterns shape his or her risk-taking behavior. For example, teens who have a great sense of self-worth are less prone to be swayed by and mindlessly follow their classmates. Low personal self-control is associated with the engagement in risky behavior of adolescents. Future research on adolescent risk-taking behavior should be longitudinal, with more factors integrated and studied at the same time. Moreover, future research should include adolescents growing up in different cultural environments, rather than studying one of them alone.