Monday, April 28, 2014

The Teenage Brain

I recently read Brainstorm: An inside guide to the emerging adolescent mind, ages 12 - 24, by Daniel J. Siegel, MD.  He is also the author of The Whole-Brain Child and Parenting from the Inside Out.

One of the first things the author does is dispel four myths about the adolescent brain.  The first is that raging hormones make teenagers "go crazy" and lose their minds.  It is actually brain development that affects behavior.  The second myth is that adolescence is a time of immaturity, and that we are waiting for them to grow up.  The third myth is that growing up during adolescence requires moving from dependence on adults to total independence from them.  In fact, the attachments teenagers have with adults are still important, even as they desire more independence and may seem to value their friends more than family.

Seigel goes on to talk about four features of the adolescent brain's growth. 
  1. Novelty seeking emerges from an increased drive for rewards in circuits of the adolescent brain that creates the inner motivation to try something new and feel life more fully.
  2. Social engagement enhances peer connectedness and creates new friendships.
  3. Increased emotional intensity gives an enhanced vitality to life.
  4. Creative exploration with an expanded sense of consciousness.

Each of these aspects has an upside and a downside.  For example, when seeking novelty, an adolescent may partake in dangerous behavior.  At the same time, novelty-seeking can lead to a sense of adventure and "fascination for life." 

In between the chapters, Seigel offers "mindsight tools" for adolescents themselves,  These mindfullness exercises aim to help adolescents be more aware of their thinking, balance their minds, breath awareness, and reflection practice (good for "grown-ups," too). 

This book is not a super-easy read, but the "real life" anecdotes help ground the theory.  It helped me understand that one needs to have an open mind set about teenagers and young adults.  If one looks at this time of life as an exciting phase for activating creativity, courage and empathy, not a time to just "survive."

It is available at the Squamish Public Library.