Teaching young people under-developed skills helps to:

• A. Reinforce punitive approaches
• B. Lead to avoidance behaviors
• C. Promote durable behavior change
• D. Diminish self-efficacy

Answer: (C)

Building new skills in young people who lack them creates lasting change because it gives them practical tools to handle real situations. When they learn and practice specific skills—such as problem-solving, coping strategies, and effective communication—they develop confidence that they can influence their own behavior. This mastery leads to durable change because the new behaviors become more automatic across settings and over time. Other approaches that rely on punishment don’t teach the steps to change, avoidance prevents practice and skill use, and if youth feel ineffective, their motivation and persistence diminish. So teaching skills directly addresses what needs to change and supports long-term, transferable improvement.