Dual-Systems Model (Steinberg 2008)
Definition
Developmental theory proposing that adolescent risk-taking results from an imbalance between an early-maturing socioemotional brain system and a later-maturing cognitive-control system, producing the impulsivity and peer-sensitivity characteristic of adolescence.
- Proposed by
- Laurence Steinberg, 2008
- System 1
- Socioemotional system, matures early
- System 2
- Cognitive-control system, matures later
- Used in
- Juvenile culpability arguments, e.g. Miller v. Alabama
Common questions
How was the dual-systems model used in juvenile sentencing cases like Miller v. Alabama?+
Advocates cited the model to argue that adolescent impulsivity and peer sensitivity stem from a temporary developmental imbalance rather than fixed character, supporting arguments against mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles.
Does the imbalance the model describes apply equally to all adolescents?+
No, the model describes a population-level developmental pattern with individual variation in timing and degree. It is used to explain group-level risk-taking trends, not to predict or excuse any specific individual's behaviour.
Related terms
- Doli Incapax
- Common-law rebuttable presumption that children aged 10-13 are incapable of criminal intent unless the prosecution proves they knew the act was seriously...
- JJ Act 2015 § 15
- Provision of India's Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 requiring a preliminary forensic-psychological assessment of 16-17 year olds accused...
- Kent Factors
- Eight criteria articulated in Kent v. United States (1966) for evaluating whether a juvenile should be transferred to adult court, including seriousness...
- MAYSI-2
- Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version; a brief mental-health screening tool for young people in juvenile justice settings, widely used in US detention...
- Miller V. Alabama (2012)
- US Supreme Court ruling prohibiting mandatory life-without-parole sentences for offenders who were under 18 at the time of their offence, on the...
- Montgomery V. Louisiana (2016)
- US Supreme Court ruling applying Miller v. Alabama retroactively to prisoners already serving mandatory life-without-parole sentences imposed for crimes committed as juveniles.
- SAVRY (Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth)
- 24-item structured professional judgement instrument for assessing violence risk in young people aged 12-18, with the strongest multi-jurisdictional validation record of any...