Chunk #108 — The Theory of Urgency — The Role of Positive and Negative Urgency During Adolescence — Heightened Emotionality and Disposition Toward Rash Action During Adolescence
Taken together, these findings suggest that the normative adolescent experience is characterized by developmentally heightened levels of positive and negative urgency. Adolescents experience increased levels of emotionality and they show a particular deficit in inhibition during periods when they are highly emotional. They lack the full brain maturation necessary to engage in affect-guided planning; they are more likely than individuals of other ages to engage in emotion-based rash action. Indeed, it has been reported that 80% of 11.5 to 15 year olds exhibited one or more reckless behaviors during the preceding month (Arnett, 1992; Maggs & Hurrelmann, 1995; Moffitt, 1993).
