Could we be overdoing this "teenage brain" thing?

In the last eight or nine years, we have been hearing about the teenage brain. What we now all are told is that teenagers’ brains are not fully developed until sometime in the mid-20s, on average. We have heard about studies that suggest adolescent brains are wired to engage in risky behavior such as drug use, reckless driving or unsafe sex. We have come to believe that teenagers, as a group, are impulsive and incapable of sound decisions.

I have passed on some of this information but without much enthusiasm. Something has bugged me about the “adolescent brain” movement from the beginning. I have struggled to digest the science in this area, but somehow I have never been able to get over the feeling that, to some extent, teenagers are not getting a fair shake. I can identify some of the things that have been bothering me.

There is something about this idea that reminds me of some extremely unfortunate times in our history (and sometimes our present), when we have made broad, generalized statements about whole groups of people. I think many of us have learned that statements made broadly about groups of people are often inspired by bigotry. What often is left out of the “teen brain” rhetoric is the miracle of individual differences. I have met many, many teenagers who are not impulsive, not prone to take undue risks and who are remarkably mature in their judgments. I have met teenagers who I would even regard as wise people. In our own community, we see all around us evidence of teenagers who are already accomplishing amazing things. One wonders how that could happen if it is true, as we are prone to believe, that teenage brains are so undeveloped that they are all inherently reckless and impulsive.

US News & World Report ran a report on the adolescent brain a few years ago featuring a cartoon that had some fun with this issue. It was a cross-section of a teen brain with a fanciful map of the innards. The “emotions” area was enormous. The “common sense” area was tiny. The mouth was labeled “smart mouth.” I think there was a “snarky gland.” Maybe that’s funny, maybe not. But, I wonder how I would feel looking at that if I were a teenager.

Another concern I have is the adolescent brain research might cause many of us to conclude that teenagers have cornered the market on impulsive or dumb behavior. A moment’s reflection on the behavior of some of the adults we know will help us get over that. I gave a talk recently to 150 teenagers at a local private school, and to illustrate this point, I put up a picture of the man who had Mitt Romney’s campaign logo tattooed on his face. As I often tell audiences in the teen driving talks I give, a quick glance at the adult drivers on Highway 280 ought to relieve us of the idea that only teenagers are capable of careless or reckless behavior.

NPR’s website recently had a story which provided some refreshing perspective. “Adolescent brains have gotten a bad rap, according to neuroscientists,” the author writes. “It’s true that teenage brains can be impulsive, scientists reported at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in New Orleans. But adolescent brains are also vulnerable, dynamic and highly responsive to positive feedback, they say. ‘The teen brain isn’t broken,’ says Jay Giedd, a child psychiatry researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health. He says the rapid changes occurring in the brains of teenagers make these years ‘a time of enormous opportunity.’”

The article goes on to present data that counters the idea of nearly universal impulsivity among youth.

I don’t think we should throw out the research on the developing teenage brain. I have certainly cited it more than once as a reason teenagers ought to avoid alcohol. But, I think we should maintain some perspective and consider the danger of being disrespectful in the way we discuss this information with our teenagers.  

Dale Wisely, Ph.D. is Director of Student Services at Mountain Brook Schools and has been a child and adolescent psychologist for nearly 30 years. Dr. Wisely welcomes your questions for future columns; email jennifer@villagelivingonline.com to submit yours.