How often do you look at teenagers and wonder, what happened? Is this child insane? Adolescence is much like that saying — building the plane in midair. They are in control of a massive piece of machinery, but they don’t have a pilot’s license. We often treat teen-aged children as if they are small adults, but they aren’t equipped to act that way.
“Adolescent” and “teenager” are no longer synonymous. For decades, researchers in the fields of psychology and sociology have been rethinking “the teen years.” Historically, we considered adolescence to mark the time of puberty; generally ages 12-18. As science has advanced — both social sciences and natural sciences — we have learned more about how we navigate this most important developmental period.
Adolescence has gotten longer. The onset of puberty is around age nine for most kids, typically three years before the outward signs of puberty begin. We’ve always thought of adolescence as the hormonal roller coaster; that a teenager’s most important job was to weather the storm of mood swings and risky behavior until the calm of adulthood settles in. The shift in how we view the time period of adolescence is most notably in brain development. What we’ve learned about how all that grey matter gets organized has given us a greater understanding of why kids do what they do.
Brain science makes it easier to define adolescence. This period is the most extensive in brain development. The brain “grows” most during birth to age three when connections are being made and milestones are being met. But adolescence is when those connections take hold and become efficient and better organized. Two major areas of the brain are hard at work during adolescence: the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. This begins around age nine, the onset of puberty, and is complete around age 25, our new understanding of the end of adolescence.
A developmental mismatch. The limbic system is the brain’s emotional center, responsible for regulating the experience of emotions. The most important function of the limbic system is to motivate us to act. It turns out that the limbic system revs up around age 15, long before the prefrontal cortex: the brain’s center for the ability to exercise self-control and think through the rewards and risks of decisions. This part of our brain isn’t strong until the early 20’s. So, during adolescence, emotions are stronger than the ability to manage them. The limbic system motivates us to act before the prefrontal cortex can think it through. This is when parents often question if their child was switched at birth, and school counselors wonder how in the world these children will make it to graduation.
No wonder it looks like they are insane. The stark contrast between middle childhood and adolescence can be blinding; they are capable of many independent activities, but we need to remember that they don’t have the ability to act as rational adults! Educators and school counselors are in a unique position to co-pilot the plane if we understand why teens think the way they do and do what they do.
What can you do? Adolescence is the perfect time to focus on developing those connections — the brain is in re-organizing mode. Help teens think through the consequences of their decisions. Consistent feedback (not criticism) and the opportunity for reflection will help solidify the connection between behavior and outcome. Prompting an adolescent to think deeply about himself or herself and how he or she impacts others is one of the best tools for learning, and developing empathy — a critical skill for anyone.
There are some great books out there to help adults understand more about the experience of adolescence. These are two that I have found very helpful:
The Teenage Brain by Amy Ellis Nutt and Frances Jensen, MD
Age of Opportunity by Laurence Steinberg, PhD
Both of these books offer insights and practical information to decipher the insanity.