Chunk #111 — The Theory of Urgency — The Role of Positive and Negative Urgency During Adolescence — Heightened Emotionality and Disposition Toward Rash Action During Adolescence
The possibility of positive and negative urgency's role in both normative and dysfunctional adolescence requires formal testing. Given evidence for personality stability, and given the likelihood that some rash actions may tend to be reinforced due to their short-term benefits, it may be the case that high levels of urgency during adolescence predict both (a) high levels of urgency in adulthood and (b) a relative failure to develop more adaptive responses to intense emotion. Thus, it may be the case that individual differences in the experience and expression of urgency during adolescence contribute to individual differences in developmental trajectories beyond the adolescent years.
