Page 18 - IFV Issue 12 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;
Ffor others, this developmental
phase is a difficult journey; and for
too many teens, it is a soul-destroying
period dominated by feelings of low
self-worth, depression and anxiety.
This transition period 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

16 • Issue 12 2022 • The Villager