As it was mentioned sometime ago when a similar post was published on here, the teenage brain is not yet fully developed until one is in [their] mid twenties. This full development of the brain usually always occurs a little earlier in girls than boys. This is a development that was seldom known almost Neurologists until the advent of Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRIs as it’s typically known, a development that has made it possible for experts to judiciously track/study the various changes that occur specifically in the brain throughout the different stages of development.
So How Does The Brain Develop?
The Brain Develops From Back To Front: Neuroscientists make us that the brain development begin from the Brain Stem which is located at the back of the neck. This starts occurring in infancy, and overtime, the development progresses to the Prefrontal cortex which is situated in the front of the brain. And yes, the full development completes once you are in your early to mid twenties.
The Brain Develops At The Same Time That Other Physical, Emotional, Cognitive Or Mental Changes Occur: Billions of new connections between brain cells are being formed, and are contributing to the other changes your teen is experiencing.
The Brain Helps Shape How Physical, Emotional, And Social Changes Occur: You probably already know this. But just in case you never did, well now you do- your repeated and varied experiences (i.e. activities, and patterns of behavior) overtime build connections in your brain. Your brain has a way of pruning connections that are not regularly experienced. This explains why you always forget those things you used to do but for some reason stopped doing.
It’s important to remind you again (as I did once before) that the Prefrontal Cortex enables you to plan effectively and make sound decisions. Asides those, it also does the following-
- Helps you control your impulses.
- Inhibits inappropriate behavior.
- Shifts or adjusts behavior when situations require such adjustment.
- Helps to organizing a sequence of actions toward a certain goals.
- Helps you to forming strategies and planning behavior.
- Helps you to set priorities among tasks and goals.
- Makes you able to develop empathy.
- Helps you develop greater sensitivity to feedback from others.
Now to any adult who might be reading this, knowing all these is supposed to serve a purpose; and that is to help you understand that teenagers are not adult. They are still going through vital developments [brain wise] and as such should not always be expected to behave the “right way”. Therefore, instead of constant criticism, adults should-
- Support teenagers by providing guidance, giving reminders and suggestions.
- Avoid labeling their decisions or choices as “stupid” but try to understand decisions from teenagers’ perspectives and use such opportunities to teach decision-making processes.
- Talk with teens about potentially challenging such as peer pressure and how they can handle such to avoid making catastrophic choices.
