Summary Of Why The Teen Brain Is Drawn To Risk

Have you ever witnessed a teenager taking a risk? Adolescents are taking more risks than ever, such as drinking, vaping, texting while driving, having unprotected sex, and participating in extreme sports. Research suggests that there are, in fact, specific reasons why teens take risks. Three important effects of the drive to take risks in young people include dopamine, peer pressure, and a parents influence on their children.

The court said that because of their youth, their brains are less developed, they are more impulsive, more subject to peer pressure and less able to see the consequences of their actions. Researchers have started to look into the development of the brain from the ages of 3 to 20 years old. Brain research by Thompson and others suggests that teenagers are unformed, less mature and less resistant to peer pressure than adults are. According to Thompson’s research, “gray matter, which brain researchers believe supports all our thinking and emotions, is purged at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent a year” (89). He also states that, “these frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent passions, rash actions, and regulate our emotions, are vastly immature throughout the teenage years” (89). Teens do know what they have done and they are capable of understanding right from wrong but their brains aren’t developed enough to make fully mature decisions.

Nature and nurture play a role in adolescent risk taking. At this point in their lives, adolescents are brains are still developing. Therefore they may be easily influenced by many things such as peer pressure, social media, and external stimuli. Berger (2015) states during middle school, students lose interest in their academics. As their academic decrease their behavioral problems increases. A major part of this problem is due to puberty. Puberty changes a lot of things for clients. During this time adolescents can be irrational which is where nature comes into play. In terms of nurture, the way how adolescents are raised is a predictor whether they engage in risky behaviors. If an adolescent has lots of social support and self-discipline

Moreover, in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, he illustrates that adolescents show decision making. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet , Juliet states “or true to my heart with treacherous revolt turn to another, this shall stay them both”(3.1.59-60). This rationalizes Juliet’s decision by saying she can’t betray her heart, which she has already given to Romeo by giving it to Pairs and believes killing herself will resolve the issue. Juliet’s decision making in this scene was based on how she couldn’t betray Romeo. Many teenagers are impulsive because they are not fully developed for example in the article titled “ Why Are Teens So Moody And Impulsive” author Carolyn Gregoire reveals “ the brain is developing until the mid-20s”(Gregoire,1). In other words,

The article “Inside the Teenage Brain” by Marty Wolner states that recently, brain researchers have been able to do a great quantity of detailed studies on the human brain. Despite previous thoughts about the teenage brain, development of the brain through the teenage years is very dynamic. The teenage brain is still learning how to process certain information properly in the thinking part of the brain, so often teens may not process all the information necessary to make responsible decisions. Nevertheless, the teenage years can be very stressful for both parents and for teens. Getting through the teenage years can be difficult, but with the right amount of healthy communication, discipline and support the road ahead won’t be so rough. At this

Teenagers. People find them to be crazy just by looking at the way they dress and act. In modern days, they dress with pop culture and most of the time, it’s provocative, but it is what all of their peers are wearing. They act in the craziest way, from “hooking up with strangers, [to] jumping from high places into shallow pools, [to] … steering a car with … [their] knees” (83) it is a wonder that they grow up to become “civilized, intelligent adults” (83). In Elizabeth Kolbert’s “The Terrible Teens,” she asserts that teenagers take risks because of their brains. Teenagers are known for making impulsive decisions that may lead to tragic events. Kolbert believes that teenagers make rash decisions because their frontal lobes are immature, nucleus

During teenage years your brain is under the influence of massive hormonal messages. Our brains are being reshaped. Depending on what the teen is doing will shape our brains that certain way. As a teen, being exposed to drugs, alcohol, inappropriate websites, violent movies/video games will affect and shape our brains and how our future will be by exposing our brains for addiction. There is constant changes in the teenage brain as well as the social and academic changes makes it hard for teens to figure out who they are at such a young age.

First, most adolescents are not mature enough to make decisions that will change their lives forever. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius state, “Some older adolescents have the cognitive ability and capacity to reason similarly to an adult. However, neuroimaging studies

Teenagers are often seen in society as careless and dangerous in the U.S. society. With many articles on adolescence, this thought stays true. Although, in a basic psychology book the author contradicts this thought. The author of a basic psychology book merely states that peers often coincide with parents on encouraging teens to do well. So, what’s the truth? The best way to answer this is to analyze articles that have strong support for their opinion on adolescence. An article by the name of “Why Teen-Agers Are the Worst” by Elizabeth Kolbert explores the possibilities on why teenagers may be dangerous. Kolbert’s thesis is “At moments of extreme exasperation, parents may think that there’s something wrong with their teen-agers’ brains. Which, according to recent books on adolescence,

I gather this because evidence has been shown that teenager’s brains are impetuous and impulsive. In the article “Teenage Brains are Malleable and Vulnerable, Researchers Say”, by Jon Hamilton, readers can see that in paragraph 4 it states, “studies suggest that adolescent brains are ‘wired’ to engage in risky behavior”. These activities include drugs, unsafe sex, and drinking. Obviously, teenagers are drawn towards these acts while knowing that they are morally and ethically wrong. In “Romeo and Juliet”, the readers see actions of “love” between the two star-crossed soulmates. The audience

I decided to agree with Robert Epstein because adolescence, make decisions that are different from adults. Adolescence has a brain that is still developing and growing which make adolescence take a risk, but as for an adult, they already did their time and learn to not to make any risks. I feel as though people may not see adults, making a risk, but they do and they are smart choices because their brain has matured. Robert Epstein argues that we blame teen turmoil on the immature brains. But did the brain cause the turmoil, or did the turmoil shape the brain? He thinks that its a myth about the teen brain. Teens tend to make risk taking inevitable, by making poor decisions, having bad behavior, and teens also to make risk by their culture environment. First I was debating with myself If did not choose No because Robert Epstein argues that we blame teen turmoil on the immature brain, but did the brains cause turmoil, or did the turmoil shape the brain? which he thinks it is "The Myth of Teen Brains." I agreed with that fact, I do believe that culture has a big effect on the brain development. Only reason I agree on this statement because of how I was raised in a cultural environment that has an effect on my brain as teen and now as an adult my brain has expanded and analyze things a little different.

When it comes to the teenage brain it’s obvious that they aren’t fully developed. According to Frances Jensen “a mother, author and neurologist” (83), a teenager is missing the frontal and prefrontal lobes of the brain in which adults possess. “The frontal lobes are the seat of what’s sometimes called the brains executive function and is responsible for planning, for self-awareness, and for judgement” (84). Being that a teenager lacks planning, self-awareness and judgement due to a missing brain function, they are subject to not thinking and being aware of circumstances in a difficult situation. For example, Kolbert states that her adolescent sons participate in a “fun pastime known as a ‘case race’” (83). A case race is when “participants form two

Teenage drivers are more likely to get into an accident than someone who is in there 30’s. This is mostly because of maturity in the brain. Scientist have proven “that critical parts of the brain involved in decision-making are not fully developed until years later at age 25 or so.” Teen drivers do not think about what could happen, or the lives they might have in

Adolecents lack the ability to make rational judgements and control sudden impulses when under stress. Their descions are usually lacking in sense if it was made based purely upon the emotion at hand (fear, anger, and nervousness illicit the most dangerous reactions). Young adults are more likely to take focus on the current situation rather than the consequences of the future. Teen judgement is skewed because of a great deal of emotion going into their thinking, leading them to make irrational judgements.

Teenagers have more filters but still don’t have a fully-formed prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational thinking arena. Teens are hovering on the brink of adulthood, but without a complete set of judgment tools at their disposal, they will revert to immature responses as soon as things don’t go their way.