Risk Taking in Adolescent and Adulthood

What is risk taking? Likewise every concept, we can’t find a definite definition to this concept too. For some people, bungee jumping is a risk taking and for some people drug/alcohol usage is a type of risk taking. Generally, risk-taking behavior is defined as reckless behavior and results of poor self-regulation and some will define risk taking as the tendency to pursue sensory pleasure and excitement.

What are the causes and conditions of risk-taking? Is it different between adolescent and adulthood? Does adolescent have tendency to take place in risky situations? There are many different views in this point. Yet, one definition cannot explain the conditions of risk-taking, different views can support the underlying causes of it.

There is a general view that adolescents are more inclined to take risks. Biodeterminists argues that, because of the controlling, monitoring and evaluating parts of the brain are not completely evolved in adolescent period; they can’t analyze the risky situations. However, Males states that, we can’t only examine factors of risk taking by biodeterministic point of view. There is also environment’ effect on individuals’ characteristics and actions. Our current environment shapes the emergences of our behaviors. Therefore, likewise biological factors, social factors are also important in our behaviors. Besides, biological and social factors there are two additional factors that contribute to process of shaping behavior. These are, cognitive and evolutionary factors. Different personalities, cognitive processes, different environment and epoch, all will have different effects on individuals.

All these processes of shaping behavior and different aspects affects the possibility of risk taking. So, can we say that adolescents have more tendencies to take risks just because of the biological view, while there are many other factors that influences it’ emergence? We can’t categorize adolescents as the majority group that takes risks just because they have more tendency to drug use and car accidents.

Psychological scientists have found that adolescents are just as cautious as adults and children. The difference between the lab and the real world, Figner says, is partly the extent to which they involve emotion. In an experiment where adolescents’ emotions got triggered strongly, they looked very different from children and adults and took bigger risks, just as observed in real world settings.

Emotion can affect decisions about risk-taking in all age groups, not just adolescents, Figner says. ["Who Takes Risks When and Why? Determinants of Risk-Taking.", Association for Psychological Science, 2011]

Risk taking became the part of our lives. Everyday we come across with decisions that can lead us to take a risk. No wonder, some risk taking situations will have bad consequences. However, we can’t improve ourselves, unless we don’t take risks.

References:

"Who Takes Risks When and Why? Determinants of Risk-Taking.", Association for Psychological Science, 2011