Page 28 - FWG December Issue 2022

DEMYSTIFYING THE TEENAGE BRAIN

By Nicoleen Davies, Director: Life Talk Forum

Recent ground-breaking research
shows how brain changes that

occur during adolescence can be
used to help teenagers achieve
their potential.

or some adolescents, the teenage
years are a breeze; for others, this
developmental phase is a difficult
Fjourney; and for too many teens, it
is a soul-destroying period dominated by
feelings of low self-worth, depression and
anxiety.

These changes can be extremely
challenging. Teenagers may suffer mood
swings which are often hard to control or
they may undergo an identity crisis. Some
teens rebel or discover a taste for adventure
and risk-taking; this may be spurred on by
the need for peer approval, which becomes
paramount at this age.

By the same measure, they seem incapable
of considering the consequences of their
actions. And all this happens while having to
cope with academic pressure. Given these
factors, coupled with the inner conflicts
and emotions that define adolescence,
many teenagers may not realise their full
intellectual potential.

In a bid to decode and understand the
brain’s evolution, scientists have been
charting the neural changes that occur
during adolescence. Insights from this
research are helping to explain why
teens behave the way they do. Moreover,
researchers suggest that certain traits or
skills learnt during the teen years – traits
which even an adult would find challenging
– can be turned into strengths.

UNDERSTANDING THE CHAOS
During adolescence, teens start to develop
more sophisticated ways of thinking.
Abstract reasoning comes into play.
However, it’s also a time when teenagers
are experimenting; they are often judged

Fourways Gardens • 26 • December 2022