Dual Cognitive Processes and Alcohol and Drug Misuse in Transitioning Adolesence

Abstract

(from the chapter) Adolescence is the time when individuals make the perilous journey from child to adult. Although risk-taking is natural and inevitable, adolescent development is fraught with potentially dangerous situations with choices that can lead to both short- and long-term changes with either positive or negative consequences on healthy development. The developmental imperatives of adolescence include physical, emotional, sexual, social, and cognitive change. The emerging world of adolescents is full of new opportunities, replete with novel and sometimes confusing sensations and experiences. The journey through this wild country comes with potentially dangerous paths that lead to very real risks and rewards. The task of adolescents is to navigate this wondrous landscape and emerge as an adult. Success in adolescence requires that the youth avoid the delays and dead-ends of risky paths. Not the least of the transformative changes that may occur in this developmental phase is the rapid growth of drug and alcohol use. This early substance use occurs in a developmental and social context. Acknowledging the social and developmental context of adolescence, this chapter explores social influences faced by youth through an emerging dual processing cognitive model of choice that helps to explain the vulnerability of youth to alcohol and drug use. It also gives a brief review of adolescent substance use and explores its relationship with social learning and social cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)