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Brain Development and Adolescent Delinquency
From a psychological perspective, adolescence is a tumultuous period of human development. That is primarily that period represents a time when those parts of the brain responsible for rational decision making and appreciation of future consequences of present actions are comparatively underdeveloped. Compounding that issue is the fact that the adolescent brain is simultaneously flooded by the highest levels of the sex hormones that the human body ever produces. In males, adolescence can be a particularly troublesome period because testosterone, the primary sex hormone, is also responsible for aggression and the need to exhibit social status and dominance within the peer group.
In particular, there are three specific regions of the brain that are still underdeveloped in adolescence: the cerebellum, corpus callosum, and prefrontal cortex. Two of those brain regions are believed to contribute greatly to some of the behaviors associated with delinquency in adolescence. The cerebellum is not believed to be essential to any one type of activity or though process; rather it is believed to mediate and coordinate multiple types of brain functions, including the connection between and among logical reasoning, social learning, judgment, and decision making. However, the most important area in terms of the connection between brain development and adolescent delinquency seems to be the prefrontal cortex, located immediately behind the forehead. In many respects, the prefrontal cortex is the "control center" of the human brain because it is substantially responsible for planning, mood modulation, organization, and working memory.
The fact that the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed in adolescence becomes critically important when the adolescent brain is simultaneously flooded by sex hormones during puberty. Especially among males, the combination of an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex with highly elevated levels of testosterone typically results in moodiness, short-temperedness, aggression, the need to exhibit social status and dominance, and rage as response to frustration, conflict, and disappointment. Naturally, there are many other factors that contribute to adolescent behavior. Whereas all teenagers experience the same types of brain development patterns and hormonal surges, not all teenagers necessarily exhibit delinquent tendencies. Brain development and hormones are only two contributing factors.
Source Consulted
Gerrig, R.J. And Zimbardo, P.G. (2009) Psychology and Life. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
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