Personal fable: a potential explanation for risk-taking behavior in adolescents

The Personal Fable is a belief held by many adolescents telling them that they are special and unique, so much so that none of life's difficulties or problems will affect them regardless of their behavior. Theoretical explanations accompanied by two studies attempting to clarify the role of the Personal Fable are presented. Reasons for conflicting findings are discussed, followed by some implications for nursing and other health care providers of this elusive but intuitively appealing construct.