Brain Influences Teenage Behavior

The Brain's Influence on Teenage Behavior When you talk to a teenager, have you ever wondered why, why did they make that decision, or perhaps, what influenced that decision? Many factors go into why teens make some of the choices they make, but a huge one is the teenage brain. Teenager’s brains are still growing. These growth cause the teens to make decisions that could be very irrational or beneficial. Counselors need to know what elements causes the decisions so they can better understand their student and be better at their job. The undeveloped prefrontal cortex, environmental factors, and the reward system influences some of the decisions that the teens make and how it the teen responses to life.
Teenagers are known to make bad decisions, …show more content…
The brain's reward system could be a good thing, but if a teen is involved in alcohol or drugs, it could be very bad or even fatal. In the video “Insight into the Teenage Brain” by Adriana Galvan, she did a study on the reward system of the teen brain. One of the key points she wanted us to go home with is that “the teenage brain gets really excited about rewards, emotions, and new experiences.” Teens tend to get over happy when it comes to things they like. If a teen is really inspired to get a reward, it doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, they could be striving to reach a goal, but if the teen experiences something they like that is not safe it could lead to themselves or others getting hurt or other consequences. Are Teenage Brains Really Different from Adult Brains, support Adriana Galvan by saying, “In imagining studies that compared brain activity when the subject receives a small, medium, or large reward, teenagers exhibited exaggerated response to… large rewards compared to children results.” But why does that matter for counselors? They need to know that because teens will sometimes do anything to get a reward they desire whether it be a thrill risk or even alcohol and drugs. Are Teenage Brain Really Different from Adult Brains, explains that, “teenagers may try these things because they’re seeking a buzz to satisfy that reward-center, while their prefrontal cortex can’t register all the risks.” Teens are continuing to do things that aren’t the best for them just because they want that reward. One example is alcohol. Are Teenage Brains really Different from Adult Brains say, “studies have shown that teenagers are more likely to become addicted to alcohol and drugs.” Alcohol and drugs may appeal to some teens reward systems. Once they have it for the first time and they can get addicted, the reward system begins to constantly want that alcohol or