Positive Development Models: Overlap and Distinctions in Implications for Intervention

The emergence of models of human development that fall under the positive development approach brings many implications for organization and structuring of interventions, evaluation focus and analyses, and the relation between demonstration projects and large scale implementation. This review compares and contrasts four prominent models- Social Competence (Guerra & Bradshaw, 2008), Social Emotional Learning (CASEL, 2015), Positive Psychology (Seligman & Csíkszentmihályi, 2000), and the 5C’s Positive Youth Development Approach (Lerner, et al., 2002). These four frameworks, while sharing many overlapping concepts and lines of empirical inquiry have developed with little overt attention to the others. This presentation compares them along several dimensions to point out overlap and distinctions, including: (a) key conceptual frameworks and constructs, (b) populations of interest, (c) measurement practices; and (d) intervention design and content implications. From this comparison suggestions for implications for a more unified framework and the major implications of the positive focus for prevention research are provided.