Typical and atypical self-regulation in adolescence: the importance of studying change over time

Researchers, parents, and teachers alike are concerned with the healthy development of self-regulation, particularly because of its influence on a wide range of academic, economic, social, and health outcomes. However, little is known about how to characterize typical and atypical self-regulation development, especially among adolescents, a population that is uniquely challenged with competing demands and expectations. The arguments of the present review are twofold: (1) it is critical to use fine-grained longitudinal data to study change over time in self-regulatory traits among youth, in order to fully understand typical and atypical self-regulation; and (2) one compelling way to study the typical and atypical development of self-regulation is through its intersection with externalizing problems. A thorough examination of the literature reveals that, on average, youth struggle with self-regulation in adolescence, as evidenced by a decline in self-regulatory capacities from age 10 to 14 and an improvement in self-regulatory skills from age 14 to 19. Concomitantly, youth show mean-level increases in externalizing problems (e.g., delinquency, aggression, alcohol/drug use, school behavioral problems) during adolescence. Further, co-developmental associations indicate that poor self-regulation leads adolescents to show greater increases in externalizing problems over time (vulnerability model); the act of engaging in these problematic behaviors leads youth to experience greater decreases in self-regulation over time (scar model); self-regulation and externalizing problems are distinct developmental constructs (spectrum model). The implications of studying trait and behavior change over time are highlighted, and future directions in this area of research are discussed.