Question

Travis and Marcus, close friends, grew up in the same neighborhood. Both were exposed to chronic poverty, gang violence, and family dysfunction. By the time they were in high school, Travis was flunking most of his classes, had a child, and had been arrested numerous times for drug-related crimes and theft. Marcus, on the other hand, was a good student, played football, and had aspirations to attend college. These different developmental trajectories, despite similar environmental influences, illustrate the concept of _____

Answer 1

Answer: differential susceptibility.

Explanation:

Jay Belsky´s differential susceptibility hypothesis states that some people, including infants, are further influenced, for better and for worst, by their context and developmental realities. This means that, due to personal characteristics, weather genetic, physiologic, or behavioral, some people are more prone than others to be affected by the negative outcomes of adverse environmental conditions, such as poverty and family dysfunction.