Theories Affecting Adolescents Brains

Research studies have been conducted to demonstrate that adolescent brains are without full adult potential thus, adolescents should not be charged with adult sentences for crimes committed under the age of 18. Several doctors note that the under development of the brain, though it does not excuse criminal behavior, should not result in a life sentence or any other irreversible or extreme punishment (Beckman, 2004, p. 1). Beckman (2004) also states that “eight medical and mental health organizations, including the American Medical Association cite a sheaf of developmental

Researchers can look at the brain of a teen to examine their behavioral decisions.Teenage brains these years are more active and dynamic which means it’s still developing.Processing in the Limbic system is a result of risky behavior.The construction of a teenage thinking brain is not cable of fully processing necessary to make responsible decisions.At this stage the brain is still developing.The brain changes depending on interactions, helpimg the teen make changes. At this time the brain will need focused and support for a healthy connection.Surrounding impacts the child faces such as challenging situations is an effective technique.Parents need to consider the teens emotional

The article “Inside the Teen Brain’ by Marty Wolner, states that the human brain provides parents with shocking new evidence to possibly explain the sometimes irrational, illogical, and impulsive behavior of teenagers. Teenage years are radically more active and dynamic than they previously thought. So teenagers are left with most of the information reaching their brains being processed in the emotional part (limbic system). Information processed in the limbic system without benefit increases the processing in the prefrontal cortex. It may result in impulsive, egocentric, and maybe even risky behavior choices. The prefrontal cortex of the teenage brain does not excuse inappropriate or irresponsible behavior from the teen. The brain is not yet

Considering the behaviors of an adolescent in the same manner as that of an adult is unfair. Juvenile brains are still developing, which means that they perform differently than adult brains (AACAP). Adolescents are more likely to act on impulse, get involved in fights, and engage in risky or dangerous behavior. They are less likely to think before they act or consider the consequences of their actions (AACAP). Weighing this scientific fact, it is unfair to assume that a juvenile committed a delinquent act with the same forethought of an adult. The mental development of a juvenile makes it difficult to prove that they established the mens rea equal to that of an adult guilty of the same offense.

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,

Treating adolescents and adults as one entity creates issues because adolescents differ significantly from adults in their capacity to make sound decisions. Studies clearly illustrate the brain is still constructing pieces of decision-making and behavior throughout adolescent years and lack the ability to fixate on the consequences of their behavior. These vulnerabilities cultivate impulsive reactions and cloud judgment choices. Because of this, teens benefit more from the juvenile system which focuses on punishment and treatment, unlike adult court which concentrates on punishment and incarceration (Toshumba). As a result of incomplete brain development, characteristics including personality, temperament, mentality, and

This part of your brain isn’t “fully developed until you are around 25 years old. Your Frontal Cortex affects things such as “attention, complex planning, decision making, impulse control, logical and organized thinking, risk management, ands short term memory (Mental Health Daily).” If the part of our brain that is responsible for taking care of those

In today’s society there has been an increase in the crimes committed by juveniles. Most juveniles have underlining factors that have caused them to choose this type of lifestyle. Many children in the juvenile system have come from impoverish stricken neighborhoods and are festered with gang activity which has made them a product of their environment. The minds of adolescents do not allow them to see how they are affecting their lives. A study was conducted, and according to the article, “Adolescents in Adult Court: Does the Punishment Fit the Criminal?”, when children mature, they will look back at their past and possibly leave their surroundings. Think about two people committing the same crime, both with the same thought process and ability to make decisions, except one is a juvenile and the other is grown. Due to the lack of experience in decision-making or the time to evaluate the situation like the adult, the youth should be viewed as irresponsible. The fact that a child’s mind is still maturing should reassure people that they will not be the same person incarcerated a few years later.

I have believed that working with children (juvenile) is challenging. Different explanations and studies have been done to explain the challenges and conflicting personalities often observed in adolescent. Freud’s theory, child development occurs in various stages of development, at every stage, they experience different pleasures areas of their body and influential experiences that occur at each stage made me wonder how much influence environment influence behavior, had led to the myth that adolescent come with baggage. Criminal behavior is reaction against shame, and humiliation (Braithwaite, 1989). The role shame and humiliation play in behavior buttress the works of Erik Erikson hinging on the importance of social interaction and experience

A number of researchers have suggested over years that teenage brains are not yet fully developed. At the National Institute of Mental Health researchers have studied the human brain ever since the stage of birth all the way to adulthood, to prove that the brain is not complete. When it comes to this topic, Americans assume that if a teenage commits a crime than they should not be held accountable because of their age. Yet they must consider that teens are capable of understanding the situation they are in, how they are looked upon as young adults,, and how they should learn from their mistakes.

The lectures “The Child to the Adolescent”, “The Adolescent” as well as the newspaper article are concerned with the topic of the human mind, especially its development from childhood t especially its development from childhood to adulthood. (Friedman, 2014). Friedman’s article has however narrowed down more on the subject of teenage mind. The lecture on Parenting and Sanctioning however is markedly different in its discussions from Friedman’s newspaper article Why Teenagers Act Crazy as well as the lectures “The Child to the Adolescent” and “The Adolescent”.

Adolescence is the distinct transitional stage between childhood and adulthood in human development, extending primarily over the teenage years and terminating legally when the age of majority is reached (Rathus, 2014). However in some instances, this biological, cognitive, social and emotional maturity may not be reached until a later stage and may be dictated by gender. Adolescence is characterised by rapidly changing and unpredictable behaviour (Freud, as cited in Rathus 2014), heightened and unstable emotions (Hall, as cited in Rathus 2014), disturbances in identity, the gradual development of one’s moral reasoning (Kohlberg, as cited in Rathus, 2014) and the gradual establishment of one’s independence. Several of these changes may occur at differing phases in adolescent growth. This development is categorized into three separate stages; early adolescence, middle adolescence, and late adolescence. Early Adolescence, commencing from the ages of eleven or twelve until the age of fourteen, comprises of several features such as rapid biological development and maturity, heightened stress levels and limited coping capabilities. On the other hand, middle adolescence, from the approximate age of fourteen to sixteen, involves the gradual cease of biological change, an increase in coping strategies and declined stress levels. Furthermore, late adolescence, commencing from the age of sixteen until the age of eighteen or nineteen, encompasses physical maturity, whereby the

According to the article,”Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” , on paragraph seven the teenager’s brain is not aware about the the risk taking, self control and controlling impulses. This shows that teenages don’t have a clue on what they are doing until they do the crime. The lost of brain tissue is seen in every teen no matter how intelligent they are and therefore they can’t control what their about to do because the brain isn’t thinking properly and isn't thinking about the consequences their action will bring. People who disagree will bring up to have someone supervise the juveniles 24/7 and there already is and they’re called parents but if they’re being supervised a lot how will they become

Given all the warnings and precautions associated with tobacco products, some people still manage to find reasons to use tobacco products. Some might disagree with the position of smoking being banned in public because they figuratively have on blinders which skew their sense of judgement. For instance, the article “Why do young adult smokers continue to smoke despite the health risks” Gough et al. state that, “While there is clear awareness of health issues among our young smokers, a collective view is generated wherein such concerns do not (currently) apply – they are issues for older people...” (216). As suggested, young smokers usually view the problems associated with smoking cigarettes with aging.

In an effort to appreciate these schemes, several theories have attempted to explain why young people commit crime. The labelling theory is a very interesting one, as it explains youth crime in terms of society’s expectations and standards, as opposed to assessing exactly what motivates young people to commit crime. It does give a unique perspective to the explanation of juvenile delinquency, but it is lacking in many regards. The theory will be introduced, and its main arguments will be put forward; it will then be evaluated against the realities of the youth justice system in order to appreciate what explanations it has to offer. Its limitations will then be considered, and other theories which might take it further to give a more holistic picture of the reason for crime amongst young people will be suggested before a conclusion is reached.