the teen brain

Adaptation is both physiological and emotional-

adolescence exposes us to more risk/rewards than normal

We are @risk from opinions of our peer group

we are more exposed to the possibilities of random rewards

Our very brain buzzes with neural hormones(oxytocin)

and fatty myelin tissue.We are growing /changing

and patterns of our behavior seem unpredictable.

Never before has so much ridden upon new skills-

learning to drive,experimenting with cigarettes,alcohol,drugs-

becoming socialized via parties and academic challenges.

We are in process,and the process has parameters

both predictable and un-

Some will go wild for a time,feral and testing

Others will plough straight fields ,seeking success

Change is the nature of such adaptive associations

reinforced by peers,parents,and authority figures

We are learning to become social creatures-to bridge

from childhood to adulthood-and this transition period

exposes us to maximum stress,test,risk and reward.

Predicting what adolescents will do is as limited and limiting

as trusting reptilian politicians...