Myth of the Teen Brain: An Article Review

Introduction

In 2007, Scientific American Mind published an article by Robert Epstein. In his article, Epstein raised the question of whether the teenage brain caused turmoil, or if turmoil shaped the brain. The author began by explaining a discredited theory that haunts teenagers today. It began in 1904 with G. Stanley Hall’s observation of adolescents who were left on the streets due to mass migration and immigration during the industrial revolution. Hall attributed the turmoil he observed to recapitulation, a biological theory in which adolescence mirrors the "savage, pigmoid" stage of evolutionary development (Epstein 2007).

Further, brain imaging studies noted differences in scans of adolescents and adults while performing tasks. It was theorized that the differences in teens’ brains were the cause of the turmoil and the myth evolved to the belief that teenagers are less motivated and put less effort into tasks (Epstein, 2007)--some see them as rebellious and irresponsible. It is now known that turmoil is not an inevitable part of human development. The author argued that differences between the teen brain and adult brain scans are not necessarily evidence of immaturity, deficits in reasoning, intelligence, cognition, or in any other function of the brain. He states that the studies may indicate a correlation, but there is no evidence of causation. Further evidence that turmoil is not inevitable can be seen in studies of other industrialized nations.

In other industrialized nations, teenage turmoil was a fraction of that seen in the U.S. The author proposed that turmoil was the result of infantilizing- a phenomenon largely attributed to American culture. When treated like adults, teens are capable of rising to the...

... middle of paper ...

...re sources common to both environments? What else may account for the differences between the social roles teens play in each society? Do said roles contribute to or lessen turmoil?

Works Cited

Bynum, J.E., Thompson, W.E., (2007). Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach. Pearson

Education: Boston, MA.

Epstein, R. (2007). The Myth of the Teen Brain. Scientific American Reports, 69-75.

McCarter, S. A. (2011). Adolescence. In Hutchinson, E. (Ed.). Dimensions of Human Behavior:

The Changing Life Course (220-268). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Merrian-Webster Dictionary, (2011). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/recapitulation

Robbins, S., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E. (2006). Contemporary Human Behavior Theory: a Clinical

Perspective for Social Work. 2nd ed., Pearson Education: Boston, MA.