Back    Next

Providing Support

READ MORE

Scaffolding
Some researchers use the image of scaffolding to describe the kind of support young adults need—a framework to surround them while the building is being constructed inside, one that is removed piece by piece as more of the building is completed. The "scaffolding" includes:

Matching Level of Challenge with Ability
If the level of challenge is too great, young adults, like all of us, "developmentally escape," finding ways to absorb new ideas into old structures, rather than taking apart the old structures to build new ones.

Balance of Structure and Flexibility
Young adults need opportunities to make decisions—and mistakes—on their own, in areas where it is safe to do so, and they need clear boundaries in areas where it is not.

Monitoring
The environment surrounding young adults also needs to include mechanisms for identifying people and situations where mistakes have become, or may become, too costly, and where assistance needs to be offered.

Safety Net
The important resources in a young adult’s life, including parents, university programs, clinicians, employer services, and others, need to be in coordination, so that a young adult can "fall" into a safety net anywhere and find her or his way to the right people and programs.

Tincture of Time
Healthy development takes time, which the pressured atmosphere of many campuses and workplaces does not provide. Offering opportunities for taking time-out is critical, without stigma and with recognition that doing so is a common and often essential step when students, family members, or employees get "stuck."

Back   Top    Next