First published 2003
Teenagers slam doors and retreat to their bedrooms without warning. They shift from articulate idealism to incoherent self-absorption in moments. They gravitate toward drugs, alcohol, and dangerous speeds. Barbara Strauch reveals that science now understands the biological foundations of these behaviors. The teenage brain undergoes complete rewiring during adolescence, particularly in the frontal cortex that controls logic and emotions. This neural reconstruction continues far beyond the previously assumed cutoff ages of seven or eleven. Hormones play a role, but recent research shows the story runs much deeper. Strauch provides an informed and engaging guide through the biological realities of adolescence, explaining why this developmental period proves simultaneously exhilarating, maddening, and frightening for parents and teens alike.
Genres: science, psychology, adolescence, non-fiction, parenting, biology
Vibes: emotional, informative, thought-provoking
Tropes: parental-perspective, scientific-explanation
256 pages · Paperback · Bloomsbury Publishing PLC