Describe the impact of risk behaviour?

Risk behavior can put you in potentially dangerous situations. Depending on how significant this risk is, an individual could become seriously harmed or even killed by participating in risk behavior. Alternatively, a large quantity of assets or cash could be lost.

In some situations, risk behavior should always be avoided - those that put you or others in physical danger. Other types of risk behavior are not so serious. For instance, using risk behavior in a board game is acceptable, as if the behavior doesn't pay off the worst consequence would be losing. Young people in particular seem to be inclined to display risk behavior, perhaps in attempts to prove themselves.

• How to implement risk behavior

Whenever you are considering risk behavior, you should ask yourself the following question: What is the worst that can happen? When you take a risk, the worst scenario could indeed result. If the consequences are too bad to comprehend or deal with, you should under no circumstances take the risk. If you could live with these circumstances, the risk might be worth taking; you now need to consider both how likely the worst scenario is and what could possibly be gained. After thinking this through in a sequenced way, you will be able to come to reasonable conclusion regarding risk behavior.

• An example of risk behavior

One example of risk behavior involves a dice game. To play the game, you must pay twenty pence. If a number six is rolled, you will win one pound. Playing the game will be risky, as there is a five in six chance you will lose twenty pence. However, the potential gain stands at one pound. So consider: Can you afford to happily lose the twenty pence? If so, it may be worth playing. But think about it another way: The odds dictate you will win one in six games. After six games, presuming one is won, you will be down twenty pence. Logic therefore dictates you should not play the game.