'Anything's risky': a theoretical examination of adolescent risk decisions

A constructivist methodology was adopted and eleven focus group discussions were conducted in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Focus groups were utilised to capture the 'group effect' and how it relates to the construction of risk.

The research allowed young people to nominate and define the risks discussed in the research allowing for both positive and negative risks to emerge. Ultimately, the goal of this research was to capture young people's decision making processes whether to participate in risk activities or not. This research challenges traditional notions that risk is a negative construct which is rationally avoided using three risk theories; (1) risk society thesis (espoused by Ulrich Beck), (2) cultural theory (championed by Mary Douglas) and (3) governmentality (developed by Michel Foucault).