The Young and the Reckless: Adolescent Reckless Behavior

In Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, they surf on the tops of trains, standing with arms outstretched as the trains rush along. The surfers—adolescents, girls as well as boys—are undeterred by the death of 150 fellow surfers per year and the injury of 400 more, from falling off trains or from hitting the 3,000-volt electric cable that runs above. On Truk Island in the South Pacific, drunkenness, fighting, and sexual experiences with a variety of lovers are all part of typical development for young men in their late teens and early 20s. They also go spearfishing where large sharks are common, and seek out other daredevil risks with life and limb.^ In urban New Jersey in the United States, adolescent boys steal automobiles, then drive them wildly for a few hours before crashing or abandoning them. Why do many adolescents seek out experiences that involve physical, psychological, or legal risks? What blend of developmental and socialization factors leads to reckless behavior among adolescents? Researchers and theorists have offered a number of explanations, focusing on such behavior as driving an automobile at high speeds or while intoxicated, having sex without conJeffrey Arnett is Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His research interests include adolescent reckless behavior, socialization, adolescents' uses of media, and the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Address correspondence to Jeffrey Arnett, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 31 Stanley Hall, Columbia, MO 65211. traception or with someone not known well, using illegal drugs, and committing crimes. Richard Jessor, for example, has suggested that the developmental motivation for such behavior is the desire of adolescents to achieve adult status.^ His theory also includes personality characteristics (such as self-esteem and value placed on achievement), family environment, and religiosity. Charles Irwin, Jr., presents a model that emphasizes pubertal timing and its effects on risk perception and peergroup association.^ My own focus is on three developmental predispositions for reckless behavior in adolescence—sensation seeking, egocentrism, and aggressiveness—and their interaction with the cultural socialization environment.