"The study of the human brain and its disease remains one of the greatest scientific and philosophical challenges ever undertaken" - Floyd E. Boom, 2007
Adolescence is a time of growth and maturation in the brain, and it is also a time when many new behaviours begin to emerge (most of which irritate and frustrate parents!). These changes include changes in attention, in motivation and in risk-taking behaviour. Surprisingly, many of these behaviours are a direct result of brain changes, and are completely NORMAL!
Many teenagers have difficulty paying attention in class or paying attention to their parents. It's hard to know exactly why this is, because attention depends on many different processes. For example, an adolescent who has trouble falling asleep before 3am will probably find it difficult to pay attention in an early morning math class. Or, an adolescent who wants to play basketball after school might not be motivated to pay attention to his or her mother's after school "to-do" list (homework, laundry, cook dinner). The GOOD NEWS is that the ability to control and sustain attention is a skill that develops with age. Most teenagers will continue to get better at focusing their attention as they grow and mature.
Homework and household chores are not things that most adolescents get excited about. And some teenagers seem to find it difficult to get excited or motivated by ANYTHING! Why? Recently, brain imaging studies have shown that teenagers under-use the brain circuits that are involved in motivation. Even when a reward is involved, teenagers need a BIGGER reward than adults do to activate their motivation brain circuits to the same level!
Motivational drives also change during adolescence. Something that might have been rewarding in childhood (a parent's praise) might not be particularly rewarding during the teenage years. Eventually though, as adolescence progresses, teenagers become increasingly motivated by the things that motivate adults (for example, long-term rewards rather than just short-term rewards).
Teenagers are known for risk-taking, novelty seeking, reckless behavior and impulsivity. One reason for this is that the teenage brain is less able than the adult brain to inhibit impulsive behaviors. Adolescents become more able to control their behavior as their brains mature, but efficient control of impulsive acts is not fully developed until adulthood. Further, when teenagers are faced with a reward, the "reward" systems of their brains are disproportionately active compared to the "control" systems (which are later to mature). This makes it difficult for teenagers to be in command of their reward response, and makes them biased towards immediate gain over long-term gain.
Although some degree of risk-taking behavior is normal, it does carry the potential for serious negative outcomes (car accidents, addictions, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and criminal records). So, what can be done to prevent bad outcomes? Teenagers need the influence, patience, understanding and guidance of their parents, they need reminders of potential consequences and direction toward lesser risks, and they need appropriate amounts of independence, freedom and responsibility.
