NCJ Number
212440
Journal
Journal of School Violence Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: 2005 Pages: 47-73
Date Published
2005
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This article proposes that a principle-based, positive psychology of optimal youth development is the most effective means of addressing school-based violence.
Abstract
The discipline of psychology has primarily been interested in studying and understanding psychological dysfunction. Recently, however, there has been a shift in the field, with researchers increasingly turning their attention to learning about optimal psychological development. The authors propose that this focus on optimal psychological development is beneficial to promoting optimal psychological health in youth, thus reducing incidents of school violence. The article explores the psychological paradigm offered by Sidney Banks in the 1970s that suggests that the psycho-spiritual principles of Mind, Consciousness, and Thought operate to create optimal psychological health. Following a description of these three principles, the authors apply the principles to the prevention of school violence, which involves teaching youth to tap into their natural mental health. Classroom conditions conducive to teaching this type of psychology are reviewed, as is the research literature supporting such an approach to psychological health and school violence prevention. References