Most research on adolescent development focuses on specific problem behaviors, whereas few studies examine the avoidance of multiple forms of risk taking or the determinants of positive development. This article develops two measures designed to address this lack: (a) a "Missteps Scale" in which multiple forms of risk taking are assessed through the adolescent years, and (b) a "Positive Well-Being Index" that includes multiple measures of positive development, ranging from satisfaction with life to community involvement. Demographic, family, school, and neighborhood characteristics were included in multivariate models estimated on the National Survey of Children. Results indicate that youth who experience fewerfamily disruptions, who are closerwith theirparents, whose parents are better educated, and who hadfewerbehavior problems in elementary school were at lower risk of a misstep and enjoyed greater well-being, net of other variables; whereas children in high-poverty neighborhoods experienced lower well-being and highermisstep hazards. Black youth scored higheron the well-being scale because of their greater religiosity and concernfor correcting social inequalities.
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