Understanding teenagers is baffling subjects. Parents can testify that every day with their teens seems like a dice roll, if the dice were live explosives. But you don’t have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. The decisions that teens make may be confusing, but science might finally be able to help determine why those choices are made.
Impulses
As an adult, you will hopefully stop and rationalize each decision you make. Thinking about short-term and long-term consequences is second nature to you by now. Over time, you have learned to curb your body’s initial reaction to conflict. According to Laurence Steinberg, a psychology professor at Temple University, teenagers haven’t. Many teenagers put themselves at risk because they lack impulse control. If their minds and bodies tell them they want something, they are more likely to react on it because the frontal lobe is underdeveloped.
Problems
The other main factor in putting teens at risk is perception. According to the Parents Universal Resource Experts, PURE, problem identification plays a large part in teen risk. Denying the teen something he wants, such as going to a party or a ride to the mall, is seen as a huge conflict to him. Teens at risk are allowing these conflicts to cloud their judgment and sway their emotions, even when the original problems isn't serious. Emotional distress in the form of depression, fear, and anger may sink in as a result of inadequate response to conflict. Compounding distress with a lack of impulse control inevitably leads to risk.
Parenting
Parenting isn’t always to blame for an erratic teenager, but there are countless ways that it can impact a teenager’s life. For instance, it is the parent’s job to determine what is acceptable and what is not. According to Psych Central, focus groups in Chicago and Kansas City discovered that many parents believe drug and alcohol use are part of the adolescent experience. By shifting what is “normal,” you place your teen at risk. The teenage brain is still maturing; allowing your teen to deal with the effects of drugs and alcohol sets her on a course for depression and suicide. The teen may even come to perceive alcohol as a form of self-medication, according to Teen Suicide Prevention.
References
- The Temple News: Immaturity in teens is biological, according to Temple researcher
- Washington Post: Brain Immaturity Could Explain Teen Crash Rate
- Parent Universal Resource Center: Struggling Teens, At Risk Teens
- Psych Central: Learn to Identify Teens at Risk for Suicide
- Teen Suicide: Teen Alcohol Use
