Navigating through the multiple changes of adolescence is challenging. While most adolescents do so successfully, there are still too many others that do not. What makes some adolescents more adept at making it through this transition relatively unscathed, while others get caught in a quagmire of potentially devastating risk-taking behaviors? This is a fundamental question underlying the work of the Search Institute, an institute dedicated to studying healthy youth development.

In 1990, Peter Benson and colleagues of the Search Institute introduced a new way of looking at adolescent development — through a developmental assets framework, rather than the more typical, problem-focused approach. Initially, this framework identified 30 (later expanded to 40) assets that facilitated successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. These 40 assets are divided into two groups and eight categories (Fig. 1). Benson's work shows that adolescents with more assets report fewer high-risk behaviors. It appears that assets retard health compromising behavior. As assets increase, so do school grades, educational aspiration and prosocial behavior. This asset model provides benchmarks by which to measure positive development.

Benson further refined this model by surveying 99,000 6th-12th grade students in public and alternative schools in 23 states during the 1996-97 school year. Regretfully, students surveyed, on average, had only 18 of the 40 assets, with boys having three less than girls. According to Benson, youth face two major types of challenges to their positive development – high-risk behaviors (i.e., substance abuse, sexual intercourse, violence and attempted suicide) and developmental deficits. High-risk behaviors limit a young person's health and well-being psychologically, physically and economically. According to Benson and Scales (1998), one in five students engage in high risk behavior. Of these, violence and alcohol use were reported most frequently.

The five developmental deficits identified included:

1. physical abuse,
2. being a victim of violence,
3. time alone at home,
4. watching too much television, and
5. attending parties where alcohol is served.

These developmental challenges, however, are offset by what Benson and Scales identified as thriving indicators, such as succeeding in school, helping others, valuing diversity, maintaining good health, exhibiting leadership, resisting danger, delaying gratification and overcoming adversity. These indicators show concern for one's own health and well being.

Young people cannot build and maintain assets by themselves. As Benson (1998) states, "The foundation for healthy development depends on the support of all youth workers, neighbors, community leaders, parents, and educators within a young person's community. No single influence in a community can provide all of what adolescents need. We must work together." Accordingly, much of the Search Institute's work is directed at assisting communities to promote developmental assets.