n the article, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” the author was very bias, and only talked about what he believed to be true and right, that teenagers have massive losses of brain tissue in areas of self control which almost is the cause to teenagers impulsive actions and committing crimes. I disagree with the author on this statement for reasoning why teenagers act the way they do, he uses this as an excuse. Teenagers must have always loss brain tissue, and just because they lose some self control, that does not make it okay to go out and kill someone or commit and henious crime. Even with loss of brain tissue teenagers and kids know the difference from right and wrong. All teenagers should know the seriousness of what they have committed,…
The Stage of Transformation The brain is more adaptive during the period of adolescence due to the developing-mind between the years of 12 and 25. The brain has the least amount of growth during this phase, however it experiences vast reconstruction, absorbing everything that the synapses find useful to succeed in the life ahead. The brain begins to shape itself using the neurons extensively to make the mind more efficient for when adulthood comes. These traits acquired during adolescence stays with one even after maturation, leaving a permanent mark that is hard to change. The changes that the brain encounters begin to mold who they become, peers play a major role during this stage due to the reaction one has from the reward of success in taking risks as they adjust to life eventually making our world a better place.…
The brains of kids and youth are not fully developed as said in” Startling Finds on teenage Brains”, by Paul Thompson, “adolescent brain is not fully developed…brain cells are only being lost in the area controlling impulse, risk-taking and self-control.”(59) This may also be the cause of kids not having second thoughts or listening to their conscience. However, teens and kids thoughts differ from their actions.…
To begin with, the age of responsibility is defined by a persons decision making. Poor decisions at times lead teenagers to more dangerous/complicated situations. Also, poor decision making such as having unprotected sex lead to pregnancy and which later lead to teen abortions. Although abortion is legal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, some countries requires parental consent or intervention by a judge (“Teen Abortion Statistics”). Study shows that college students drinking decisions contribute to 17,000 deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 cases of sexual assaults (“Choose Responsibility”). Teens law breaking rates and binge drinking show teenagers underestimation of dangerous situations that can cause a terrible chain reaction. More than 5 million children living today will die prematurely because of a decision they will make as adolescents (“Statistics on Teens”). Although most teenagers prefer making decisions alone, their decisions are fragmented and with little knowledge. Therefore, in the final analysis, 21 year olds are more capable of committing rational decisions.…
Within the teenagers years our bodies begin to change drastically and one of these changes would be the massive loss of brain tissue. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have discovered that the brain matter being lost within the teenage years is from areas that control impulse, risk-taking, and self-control. This further leads teens to act on only their feelings and make rash decisions. An example of this would be Nathaniel Brazill. On his last day of school he was sent home early for throwing water balloons. Before leaving the school he didn’t get the chance to say good-bye to his first serious girlfriend who only six days earlier gave him his first kiss. Fuming, he went home and grabbed a gun belonging to his grandfather and returned to school and shot the teacher in the head. Brazill was only 13 at the time and was charged with second-degree murder.…
It is common for parents to be concerned about their children’s teen years, with rebellion, mood swings, and poor decisions being frequent grievances. Parents dread this “phase” and enter it with trepidation while being urged by their teens to give them more freedom as a person. What parents don’t realize is that their incessant complaints regarding their children’s unbounded freedom can have a negative impact on them. Many teens hear these complaints and believe that their parents would not approve of their choices and they must navigate their personal issues without assistance. Hormones alone are not what guide teens’ seemingly irrational behavior, but the absence of constructive parental guidance, too much freedom, and the stress associated…
"The Teenager 's Brain." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness Find a Therapist. Robert J. Hedaya, M.D., 3 June 2010. Web. 29 July 2014.…
The drinking age is also good where it is, because scientists have proof that teenage brains are not as well developed as those of adults. The teenage brain is still developing between childhood and adulthood. Dr. David Fassler says that teenagers are more likely to act out on impulse rather than to stop and thoroughly think about the consequences. Bright colors on scans represent brain activity and structure, show that the teenage brain is fundamentally different from and adult one. Scientists agree to disagree on when a brain is fully mature, some say early twenties and some say mid-twenties. With this…
Adolescents experience many social, emotional, and physical pressures as they develop- for example teens face peer pressure, bullying, and the temptation of drugs and alcohol, sexual activity, etc. The Limbic system (the part of the brain that controls sensations and emotions) grows throughout adolescence but the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain that controls rational thinking and logic) is slow growing (Berger, 2011). In other words, teenagers enjoy experiencing intense sensations but often lack the ability to make logical decisions. This can lead to teenagers to engage in risky behaviors and give in to social pressures. As children grow they have to deal with many autonomous decisions and one of them is peer pressure. Other children will try to talk them into smoking, drinking, skipping school, or sex. Because adolescence are highly concerned with their peers they worry that other kids might make fun of them if they do not succumb to peer pressure The pressure to be like everyone else will influence some children to have their good judgment, or their common sense behind. It is only natural to listen to and learn from others. So by teaching children to have strong self-esteem helps them make better choices, even if their friends do not think that their choices are right ones. Parents can help their children how to present themselves in a positive way, and avoiding people who pick on them. When adolescents struggle with peer pressure, it is helpful if they have a positive role model or friend to talk to (Berger, 2011). Peer pressure can be difficult for some children, even cause suicide. Suicide among children in elementary school are estimated at 187 considered suicide, while 26 attempted suicides and one suicide completed which involved the children’s family life such as divorces followed by their…
“Ah, those damn teenagers!”, Many of us have came across this thought at least once in the past by being frustrated with teenagers causing trouble around us. Science says that the troubled behaviours that adolescent youth produces is natural and has legitimate reason. It has been found that throughout development, teen years are a critical time for frontal lobe development that may explain reasons behind the maladaptive adolescent behaviour.…
Abnormal Psychology Assignment Inside the Teenage Brain Frontline: PBS Are teenagers from another planet? Are they really aliens? What goes on inside the teenage brain? Is the teenage brain any different from the adult brain? Let’s take a closer look!…
According to the “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” article by Paul Thompson, studies have shown recently that “teen brains do lose a massive amount of brain tissue in the teenage years.” Teens are also losing brain cells and connections, but they are only losing them in the area controlling impulses, such as risk taking and self-control (Thompson1). This does not make any sense whatsoever, the only thing that makes sense that teens lose brain tissue and brain cells in their teen years. But come on there are teens that lose the same amount brain tissue and they are controlling themselves. They are not out killing people because some lame excuse that they cannot control themselves.…
R. Grace Webb PSYC 1030-W88 March 10th, 2013 The Teenage Brain: A Continuous Mystery Everyone knows and remembers their tough teenage years. For some, it was the best time of their life; for others, the memories are the opposite. What is even more challenging than being a teenager yourself, is living with one. It is as if it happens over night; a happy, fun-loving child becomes a dramatic, chaotic pre-teen. In PBS Frontline’s “Inside the Teenage Brain”, some of the mysteries involving why and how the teenage brain works are revealed. The brain in general, is very complex and complicated; although, it seems as if it doubles in complication once a child enters into their teenage years. Teenagers become more moody and their behaviors often dramatically change during these few years of life. For generations, scientist, along with parents and adults, have pondered what is the cause of the dramatic changes. With the recent use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) along with other new technologies, scientist are finally able to answer some of these questions involving the teenage brain. Dr. Jay Giedd, from the National Institute of Mental Health, explains how one night per week he uses a MRI in order to view the inside of children’s brains. Thanks to the MRI scientist, along with Dr. Giedd, can now explore the growing activity of the human brain. Scientists have concluded that the brain mostly develops in two stages: while a child is still in the womb till to the first 18 months of life and when a child hits puberty. During these two stages of life, the brain creates an abundance of brain cells and grows at a dramatic rate. Dr. Giedd states, “This was a process we knew happened in the womb, maybe even the first 18 moths of life, but it was only when we started following in the same children by scanning their brains at two-year intervals that we detected a second wave of overproduction.” He continues by discussing how this second stage of dramatic brain development is…
Paul Thompson in the article,”Startling Finds on Teenage Brains”,claims that a child is not a man. Thompson supports his claim by first explaining to us that when teens commit crimes they are not fully thoughtful of it there brains aren't fully developed. He they explains that over the teen years they lose a significant amount of brain tissues. Lastly the author explains that now that they know this they may be able to understand teens better and help with this problem. Thompson’s purpose is to show us what is going on in the teens brains in order to tell us that a child is not a man. This work is significant because we need to know what is going on in teens brains that can explain there behavior.…
The study implies that one explanation for why adolescents take great risks is because they underestimate the likelihood that a negative outcome will occur to them. Although adolescents have awareness that risks are involved, they also have misunderstandings of risks associated with certain behaviors that vary due to the adolescent’s socio economic status.…