Promoting Positive Development Through Social Justice: An Introduction to a New Ongoing Section of Applied Developmental Science

摘要

One of the defining characteristics of Applied Developmental Science (ADS) is that theory, research, and its application in the real world are interwoven, each informing and enriching the other (Fisher & Lerner, 2005; Fisher et al., 1993; Lerner, 2010; Sherrod, Busch-Rossnagel, & Fisher, 2004). Over the past three decades this orientation has transformed how investigators and policy makers conceptualize and strive to optimize development across the life course. The field has had significant accomplishments in identifying and strengthening developmental assets in marginalized communities, understanding the effects of poverty and discrimination on individual and family well-being across the lifespan, and in advancing research methodologies that can illuminate the multilevel and reciprocal dynamic systems that influence developmental pathways by limiting or fostering equal access to resources essential to health and wellbeing (e.g., Browning, Burrington, Leventhal, & Brooks-Gunn, 2008; Scales et al., 2008).