Risk and Resilience in the Life Course: Implications for Interventions and Social Policies

It is now increasingly recognized that youth research needs to pay at least as much attention to the development of competences, resources, skills, and assets as to the emergence of disadvantage and risk. This paper summarizes recent developments in theory and research on resilience, a construct describing positive adaptation in the face of adversity, and explores possible applications of the theoretical advances and empirical findings to the development of interventions and social policies. A series of guiding principles are discussed along with examples of existing programmes aiming to promote the well being of disadvantaged, high-risk young people in our society.