Teen Behavior Adolescence Can Be

Teen Behavior

Adolescence can be a very difficult time for many people. The purpose of this discussion is to examine teen behavior including how and why they act the way they do and the consequences of their actions. The research will also include some scientific aspects concerning the manner in which they behave and how it can be remedied.

Teen Behavior great deal of the existing research concerning this topic asserts that the behavior of teens is directly related to the amount of physiological and psychological change that is taking place within the adolescent. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) adolescence is the period between puberty and adulthood; usually between the ages of 13 and 19. During this period, teenagers' endocrine glands begin to generate hormones that result in transformations in the body and the development of secondary sex characteristics. In females, the ovaries increase the manufacture of estrogen and other female hormones. In males, the testicles increase the manufacture of testosterone ("Puberty and Adolescence").

According to Archer 1997 even though human development is a continuous process, there are significant periods in human development during which adaptational achievement or failure will have a serious impact upon later development in the life cycle (Achenbach 1978). Adolescence clearly is one of these critical developmental transitions. The author reports

Holmbeck and Updegrove (1995) observed that adolescence is "characterized by more biological, psychological, and social role changes than other life stages except infancy" (p. 16). As noted by Petersen and Hamburg (1986), the number and extent of changes that occur simultaneously during adolescence present major challenges to the development of mature and effective coping strategies. Ineffective coping strategies may contribute to a variety of problem behaviors during adolescent development. Further, failures in adolescent development may result in psychopathology manifested during later life stages (Archer 1997)."

It appears that both the physical and psychological changes that naturally occur during the teenage years can also have a serious impact on the manner in which a teenager behaves. Changes related to hormonal fluctuations and changing social conditions can contribute greatly to the attitudes and behaviors that teenagers display. According to Adams et al. (1996) Testosterone seems to have the most dramatic effect on the body. Testosterone has long been associated with aggression, and testosterone levels increases dramatically in adolescent boys.

As it relates to social conditions, teenagers are greatly influenced to engage in certain behaviors as a result of peer pressure. During adolescence peer pressure is such a strong influence because teenagers are struggling to find and create their identity. In addition, adolescents tend to have a strong desire to fit in. All of these things can result in teenagers succumbing to peer pressure and engaging inappropriate behaviors. These behaviors may be inclusive of drinking, smoking, lying, cheating in school, fighting and other inappropriate behaviors.

Additional research has suggested that teenagers often behave the way they do because their brains are not fully developed and as such they do not have the full capacity to make certain decisions. Over the last five years research has indicated that the brain of an adolescent is not as developed as researchers once thought. In fact, advances in technology have made it possible to further examine the development of the human brain. Researchers have found that part of the frontal lobe, referred to as the pre-frontal cortex that is believed to be the management center for the body, is not fully developed in adolescents (Sowell et al., 2001; Cobb, 1998). The article explains that the lack of development in this part of the brain explains some of the behaviors that are displayed by teenagers because it is responsible for advanced cognition ("Adolescence, Brain Development..,"2004). Advanced cognition permits human beings to prioritize thoughts, visualize, think in the abstract, predict consequences, plan, and manage impulses ("Adolescence, Brain Development..,"2004). With these things being understood the underdevelopment of this part of the brain could explain why teenagers often engage in risky behaviors that may have extremely serious consequences (Lewis, 2002).