A model for a positive youth development intervention

Abstract

Modern-day life necessitates the application of interventions to facilitate the development of the youth in a more positive trajectory. Lacunae in the Positive Youth Development (PYD) paradigm include, inter alia, the lack of integration between theory and application and a lack of exposition of the processes underlying developmental change in the youth. The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical model to facilitate the development of youth in early adolescence. The proposed model builds on existing models, namely the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory and the Selection Optimization and Compensation (SOC) model. A review of the literature on the PYD paradigm and other areas of psychology with a similar strength-based focus, yielded theory which could be used to expand on the basic framework. The resulting Positive Youth Development Intervention model (PYDI) is described with reference to meta-theoretical assumptions, theoretical hypotheses, and constructs referring to phenomena and processes to be facilitated on an empirical level. This model can be operationalised to develop an intervention which can then be evaluated, thereby contributing to bridging theory and application in PYD.