Why teens do dumb things
Posted by Richard Kuhlenschmidt Mon, 06 Nov 2006 00:47:31 GMT
Why is it that after years of safe sex classes, drug abstinence seminars, anti-smoking campaigns, teens still go out and get involved with self-destructive behavior like drinking and driving, smoking, having unprotected sex, and so on.
The prevailing thought is that it is because teens feel invincible. They are young, strong, and smart. “It won’t happen to me!” they tell themselves. They have weighed the odds, assessed their own skills and smarts, and feel like they can get away with it, at least this time.
But a new study being done by the Association for Psychological Science discounts this idea and actually claims that teens overestimate their risk of getting HIV or lung cancer. But, they underestimate the consequences. Maybe they will get lung cancer, but how many years do they have to smoke before they get it? Maybe they will get an STD, but how bad can that really be?
Social acceptance and rebellion are also factors. Peer pressure can sway a kid who knows the dangers of drunk driving to do it anyway, regardless of the odds. The Cost/Benefit factor doesn’t even come in to play.
Adults, on the other hand, through experience, knowledge and insight, have an intuitive reaction to avoid risky behavior. It is a “gut” feeling that stops them from getting involved in these activities.
So how do we impart this intuition that has taken years to develop in adults, into our kids?
There is currently a study being conducted by Valerie F. Reyna and Frank Farley at the Association for Psychological Science where teens are being subjected to positive images of healthy behavior and negative images of risky behavior. It appears that this strategy may work better than the tactics that are currently being used.
To dig into this more, click here.
