Why Do They Act That Way?

I just finished this great book for one of the professional development courses that I'm taking. It's called Why Do They act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen by David Walsh.

It is all about how the teenage brain works and how that effects the way they think and act. It gives a lot of helpful suggestions for the way parents, teachers and other influential adults can help guide a teen through this time period.

Points that I found interesting:
1) The brain is made up of neurons that need to be connected in order for learning to occur. The first five years are a crucial time for nature and nurture to influence this "hard wiring." Most people don't realize that a second window of opportunity for neuron wiring happens during adolescence. It is then that brain chemicals change the makeup of the brain and different areas of the brain begin to operate differently.

2) I found this point sooooo interesting. During adolescence, the executive control center of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, has not even neared full development. It is in charge of thinking through to consequences and impulse control. Instead of always thinking via the PFC, the teenage brain operates often out of the amygdala - - catch this, the seat of fight-or-flight reactions, fear and aggression. In boys, they operate out of this area much more often than in girls. Doesn't that explain so much?!? Teens need to learn how to make informed decisions and to curb their impulsive reactions and thus strengthen the baby neural connections in this area.

3) Girls have a hard time with estrogen and progesterone levels rising and falling in their body. It can cause a lot of emotional roller coasters. Girls need adult help in training themselves to react appropriately to these mood changers. Interestingly, girls are at a high risk of talking themselves into a depression when they are upset about a situation. They don't always need a listening ear alone. Without the mental exercise of thinking through how to pull out this nose dive or ways to remedy the situation triggering these feelings, they can spiral out of control. I suddenly was very thankful for my mom's listening ear and my dad's practical approach to problems. I guess that's the combo-pack that I needed.

There is a lot more in this book that I could talk about, but there's something to chew on.