40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents
Search Institute has identified the following building blocks of healthy development—known as Developmental Assets—that help young children grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.
This particular list is intended for adolescents (age 12-18). If you'd like to see the lists for other age groups, you can find them on the Developmental Assets Lists lists page.
For more information on the assets and the research behind them, see the Developmental Assets or Developmental Assets Research page.
For a printer-friendly version of this page, download this list.
EXTERNAL ASSETS
SUPPORT
Family Support
| Family life provides high levels of love and support.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Positive Family
Communication
| Young person and her or his parent(s) communicate positively, and
young person is willing to seek advice and counsel from
parents.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Other Adult
Relationships
| Young person receives support from three or more nonparent
adults.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Caring
Neighborhood
| Young person experiences caring neighbors.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Caring School
Climate
| School provides a caring, encouraging environment.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Parent Involvement in Schooling | Parent(s) are actively involved in helping the child succeed in school.
EMPOWERMENT
Community Values
Youth
| Young person perceives that adults in the community value
youth.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Youth as
Resources
| Young people are given useful roles in the community.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Service to
Others
| Young person serves in the community one hour or more per
week.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Safety
| Young person feels safe at home, school, and in the
neighborhood.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS
Family
Boundaries
| Family has clear rules and consequences and monitors the young
person’s whereabouts.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
School
Boundaries
| School provides clear rules and consequences.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Neighborhood
Boundaries
| Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring young people’s
behavior.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Adult Role
Models
| Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible
behavior.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Positive Peer
Influence
| Young person's best friends model responsible behavior.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
High Expectations | Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.
CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME
Creative
Activities
| Young person spends three or more hours per week in lessons or
practice in music, theater, or other arts.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Youth Programs | Young person spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school and/or in community organizations.SHOW ME HOW TO TAKE ACTION
Religious
Community
| Young person spends one hour or more per week in activities in a
religious institution.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Time at Home
| Young person is out with friends "with nothing special to do"
two or fewer nights per week.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
INTERNAL ASSETS
COMMITMENT TO LEARNING
Achievement
Motivation
| Young person is motivated to do well in school.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
School
Engagement |
Young person is actively engaged in learning.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Homework
| Young person reports doing at least one hour of homework every
school day.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Bonding to
School
| Young person cares about her or his school.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Reading for
Pleasure
| Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
POSITIVE VALUES
Caring |
Young Person places high value on helping other people.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Equality and
Social Justice
| Young person places high value on promoting equality and reducing
hunger and poverty.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Integrity
| Young person acts on convictions and stands up for her or his
beliefs.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Honesty
| Young person "tells the truth even when it is not easy."
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Responsibility
| Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Restraint
| Young person believes it is important not to be sexually active or
to use alcohol or other drugs.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
SOCIAL COMPETENCIES
Planning and
Decision Making
| Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Interpersonal
Competence
| Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Cultural Competence | Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds.
SHOW ME HOW TO TAKE ACTION
Resistance
Skills
| Young person can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous
situations.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Peaceful
Conflict Resolution |
Young person seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
POSITIVE IDENTITY
Personal Power
| Young person feels he or she has control over "things that
happen to me."
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Self-Esteem
| Young person reports having a high self-esteem.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Sense of Purpose
| Young person reports that "my life has a purpose."
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
Positive View of
Personal Future
| Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.
SHOW
ME HOW TO TAKE
ACTION
This list is an
educational tool.
It is not intended to be nor is it appropriate as a
scientific measure of the developmental assets of
individuals.
Copyright © 1997, 2007 by Search Institute.
All
rights reserved.
This chart may be reproduced for educational,
noncommercial use only (with this copyright line).
No other use is
permitted without prior permission from Search Institute, 615 First
Avenue N.E., Suite 125, Minneapolis, MN 55413; 800-888-7828.
See
Search Institute's Permissions Guidelines and Request Form.
The
following are registered trademarks of Search Institute: Search
Institute®, Developmental Assets® and Healthy Communities •
Healthy Youth®.
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