Adolescence is a sensitive period in the development of a person because it is characterized by rapid growth in the physical and emotional aspects. Contemporary studies have stressed the centrality of neuroscience in revealing certain motivating factors for the expression of adolescents. Studies conducted in the present decade reveal mysterious functions of the adolescent brain in a manner that scholars in the former centuries did not conceive them. Against this backdrop, the present essay sets out to investigate adolescent brain development from the perspective of two scholarly videos provided by experts in this area. This essay seeks to use the video Insights into the Teenage Brain and The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain to investigate surprising findings, the rile of neuroscience, personal developments and how the videos can help teachers and parents.
After watching the two videos, certain things surprised me. First, the fact that adolescent brain development has been studied for centuries but fascinating neurological findings were established only fifteen years ago surprises me. This shows that perhaps the topic has not been fully exhausted. According to Dumas, Ellis, and Wolfe (2012), adolescent brain development is a multifaceted area of study that reveals interesting findings each time the exercise is initiated. I am equally surprised to learn that the front part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex behaves in a similar manner in adolescents as it rats, monkeys and mice. Researching on adolescent brain development and identity creation, Sercombe (2014) argues that adolescents are motivated by immediate reward systems that excite their brains. As a result, they take several risks with the aim of satisfying themselves or gaining acceptance into the social networks.
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From the video The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain , I am surprised to learn that although the grey matter is an important neurological component of the brain, adolescence is characterized by reduced grey matter in the brain. Whereas Blakemore (2012) argues that grey matter is needed because it assists in social development and inhibition, self-awareness and planning, the video indicates that during adolescence, pruning is done to the grey matter so that the individual develops emotions that are fortified for adulthood expectations. Finally, the idea that brain development is not only rapid among children but is equally fast among adolescents is a finding that has surprised me. It is, therefore, necessary to delve deeper into the identity and brain development so that the findings can improve the already existing literature.
Advances in neuroscience help us understand and appreciate adolescence in many ways. First, neuroscience helps us learn how to relate to adolescents with special regard to how their brain develops. Reference to the research of Dumas, Ellis, and Wolfe (2012) indicates that neuroscience is the best science that equips people with the tools of analyzing the adolescent behavior and reactions. In other words, advances in neuroscience assists in designing age-appropriate counseling strategies that can help the adolescents discover their identity. Secondly, neuroscience helps us appreciate the reward system from childhood to adolescence. This is particularly important in shaping the development of an individual. According to O'Brien, Albert, Chein and Steinberg (2011) understanding why adolescents take more risks when they are with their peers gives one the opportunity to appreciate their developmental stage hence appropriate guidance may be devised to help them grow in acceptable ways. It is important to also mention that advances in neuroscience allow us to compare the tools of analyses used to study adolescent brain development by scientists who lived in the past centuries. By way of example, the limbic systems, reward system, and emotional comportments were not fully studied until fifteen years ago. This, therefore, means that advances are good for they give us the tools to fully align the challenges of adolescence to contemporary times.
Personally, the two videos have made me reflect on my own life. I have learned that most of the selfish and rash decisions I made during adolescence were due to the poorly developed brain. This lesson leans on the argument of O'Brien et al. (2011) who mention that if not properly monitored, adolescents have a way of being pushy with their needs because their brain development seeks an immediate reward. I have also learned the reason why I develop immediate emotional responses with people through empathy. For instance, I easily read other people’s behaviors and share their joys and sorrows automatically. This kind of reaction is confirmed in the video The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain which confirms that adolescents are sensitive to occurrences around them and they quickly respond to the stimuli. Finally, the videos have made me realize that the choices I made during adolescence were somehow immature but appropriate. It is, therefore, true to observe that I grew up through all the neurological stages of the adolescent brain.
Teachers and parents have a lot of lessons they can glean from the two videos in order to improve their guidance to the adolescents. First, they learn that teenage brain development changes constantly. This lesson is particularly important in that it allows the teachers and parents to update their method of guiding the individuals. This is the opinion shared by Eccles and Roeser (2011) who observe that the school environment is replete with opportunities that can cater to the developmental needs of every adolescent. Whether one is excited towards rewards, emotions, and experiences, the teacher has the capacity to tailor their instructional programs to address these changes. Parents are equally lucky to learn of the neurological advances. This is because they will not impose their ideas on children whose developmental stages require different things. Simply put, a thorough understanding of neurological advances helps parents and teachers to give personalized attention according to developmental needs.
Advances in neuroscience refine the parenting and teaching skills by teaching the virtue of patience. Once parent or teachers learner that adolescence is an adaptable and malleable developmental stage, they will be patient in understanding the reactions of the individuals with the hope that the required behavior will show at the right time. As Blakemore (2012) argues, understanding advances in neuroscience allows one to embrace a scientific approach to the analysis of problems adolescents are facing. Parents and teachers, therefore, become better in dealing with adolescence if they do not act rashly but rather embrace a scientific approach to the solution of their children. Further, parents and teachers who have understood neuroscience will proceed with caution and avoid harassing children when they err. From the two videos, it is evident that the lack of proper knowledge on adolescent identity makes parents and teachers act imprudently hence messing the adolescents up.
Conclusion
This essay has investigated adolescent identity development. The essay has revealed that adolescence is a sensitive stage when the brain grows immensely as individuals take varied choices that require immediate rewards. From a neuroscience perspective, it is evident that parents and teachers need to understand the changes that take place in the prefrontal cortex. This is particularly important because it enables parents and teachers to personalize guidance according to the developmental needs of the adolescent. This paper, therefore, concludes that adolescence identity is an interesting topic that should be approached from neuroscience.
References
Blakemore, S. J. (2012). Development of the social brain in adolescence. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine , 105 (3), 111-116.
Dumas, T. M., Ellis, W. E., & Wolfe, D. A. (2012). Identity development as a buffer of adolescent risk behaviors in the context of peer group pressure and control. Journal of Adolescence , 35 (4), 917-927.
Eccles, J. S., & Roeser, R. W. (2011). Schools as developmental contexts during adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence , 21 (1), 225-241.
O'Brien, L., Albert, D., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Adolescents prefer more immediate rewards when in the presence of their peers. Journal of Research on Adolescence , 753.
Sercombe, H. (2014). Risk, adaptation and the functional teenage brain. Brain and Cognition , 89 , 61-69.
