Youth have nearly always exhibited behaviors that frustrate adults. It
can be diffi- cult to understand why young people engage in risky or
destructive behavior, and it is challenging to develop strategies to
encourage more healthy and responsible behavior among our youth.
However, it is helpful to realize that despite the fact that large
numbers of youth engage in frightful and destructive behaviors for pe-
riods of time during adolescence and early adulthood, a large proportion
of youth find a way not only to survive but also to bounce back and
contribute significantly to the furtherance of human development. We are
not the first generation of adults to experience the pain, fear, and
frustration of dealing with our youth. More important, we recognize that
we are not helpless when faced with the problems youth experience. While
it is true that adolescents have always exhibited problem behaviors, a
number of effective tools and approaches have always been at our
disposal to assist with appropriate youth development. Of course, the
most effective approaches require a tremendous amount of focused time
and energy.