The Sensation Seeking Adolescent Scale (SSAS): Predicting At-Risk Behavior

"Make my day." When faced with disciplinary action, this Clint Eastwood line from the film Sudden Impact (Eastwood, C., 1983) could be a rejoinder for up to 30% of today's adolescents. Biology sets the stage for the amount of stimulation an individual needs to reach homeostasis, but the environment determines whether that need is satisfied through positive or negative behavior. Some adolescents are predisposed to increase the intensity of their daily experiences and find the threat (thrill) of punishment actually reinforces anti-social behavior. Should society continue allocating resources to administer punishment to sensation seeking adolescents? Dr. Britton's Sensation Seeking Adolescent Scale (SSAS) may be the first step to an answer. The SSAS identifies which adolescent sensation seekers will have significantly more office behavioral referrals and a lower grade point average in high school. Parents, educators, administrators, and legislators will welcome the SSAS-based idea of a proactive program for negative sensation seekers where support and exciting activities replace the standard adult response to punish the adolescent with the "need for speed" and "Make my day" attitude.