Do similarities exist between voluntary risk taking, such as mountain climbing, and criminal behavior? Can an exploration of adolescent risk-taking behaviors shed light on adolescent problem behaviors, such as unprotected sex? Are there positive aspects to adolescent risk taking? Exploring these and other issues, this team of contributors from the fields of psychology, sociology, adolescent medicine, and public policy use risk taking as a framework to study many of the dangerous, and often life-threatening, behaviors of youth. Beginning with a review of the past research on adolescent problem behaviors that have a risk-taking component, the book covers such topics as theories of risky choice, the use of the rational choice theory in predicting heightened risk taking during youth, sociobiological factors in risk taking, and intervention programs for socially and self-destructive behaviors.