Do Teen Brains Cause Reckless Behavior?
The latest issue of Scientific American Mind has a great
article about the teen brain, challenging many of our
current thoughts about our young adolescents. Many recent
studies support the notion that teenagers' brains are
somehow inept at dealing with challenges in the same way as
adults, and that this underlies their often reckless
behavior. I have written posts in the past summarizing some
of this work.
The Myth of the Teen Brain
In his article, The Myth of the Teen Brain, Robert Epstein
makes a compelling argument that the majority of these
previous studies are all wet. Epstein is a psychologist who
has studied this issue for many years, across hundreds of
cultures.
He cites one study of 186 pre-industrial societies in which
teens spend most of their time with adults and have few of
the problem behaviors that we Americans associate with
adolescence. In fact, the majority of these societies don't
even have a word for adolescence – teens are not
distinguished from adults.
The Battle between Hormones and Culture
Treating teens like adults makes a lot of sense from a
biological perspective. Like it or not, teens are of
reproductive age. If they lived a few hundred years ago,
they would likely be parenting children of their own. If
their brains were really ‘programmed' for recklessness then
it's unlikely that the human race would have survived. It
is only the rules of our society that have made teen
parenthood abnormal. This is, of course, not to condone
teen pregnancy but to realize that the problem stems from
man-made cultural issues, not from nature-made biological
ones.
The Consequences of Restricting Behavior
Another statistic that Epstein points out is that American
teens have 10 times as many restrictions as adults and
twice as many restrictions as incarcerated felons! He
points out that prior to 1800 there were really no laws
restricting teen behavior; by 1900 there were about 20; and
by the year 2000, there were over 140 laws defining what
teens can and cannot do.
This, Epstein argues, is the real problem. He claims that
we artificially extend teens childhood by treating them
like children. We are also placing them in situations where
they primarily only socialize with each other – when we
should be socializing them to be adults.
He claims that all of the previous studies showing that
teens' brains are ‘inferior' to adults' brains is because
the behaviors we impose on them make their brains different
– and not that their brain differences cause their
behaviors.
Anyone that went to college with someone who was a raised
in a restricted environment knows how rebellious they can
be. At the risk of offending readers, my Catholic School
friends were the wildest kids around. Too strict or
restrictive of an up-bringing pushes many teens to go hard
the other way. Dr. Epstein suggests that our
over-restrictive society may be behind tragedies like
Littleton and Virginia Tech.
The question then, is ‘Are all the restrictions on teens
necessary in today's society or have we gone too far?' Do
all the rules make matters better or worse?
Protection or Exposure?
Many Europeans laugh at us Americans for our protective
attitudes, especially around alcohol and sex. We think
little of exposing teens to violence on TV and in video
games, but we cringe at letting them see a sex scene.
What's worse, growing up to have sex or shooting someone?
Also in Europe, teens are exposed to alcohol for a couple
of years before legally learning to drive. They don't have
the taboo associated with a glass of beer or wine and don't
have as many problems associated with alcohol abuse. In
America, we make sure that they already have their car keys
in hand when they go out for their first legal drinking
binge. Seems a little backward to me.
Lighten Up?
There are good arguments on both sides of the debate. As
parents, we need to take a hard look at the rules we impose
on our own teens. Of course, we need to stay within the
laws of our country. But we can ask ourselves if all our
household rules are for their own long-term good. Do our
rules protect them at the expense of delaying their
abilities to become independent and think for themselves?
Will you feel comfortable with your teen's ability to
handle adversity when they step out of the protection of
your home? Maybe if we stop treating them like children
they will stop acting like them.
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