Review of "The Teenage Brain"
By Frances E. Jensen with Amy Ellis NuttHarper, 2015
Review by Christian Perring on Feb 10th 2015
There have been enough popular science "brain" books published by now that even before looking at this one, we can expect several features, given the current state of neuroscience. First, it will be speculative and vague; neuroscience can give some promising hypotheses about how to explain behavior, in conjunction with some broad generalizations about the sociological conditions of the people they are discussing, in this case teens. Second, it will tell us very little new about how to intervene to change the behavior and mental states of concern, because there is not much new knowledge about how to do that. The neuroscience, when it explains anything, mainly just reiterates what we already knew. Third, much of the advice and information it will give turns out not to be neuroscience at all, but from social psychology, other areas of cognitive psychology, or rough and ready ideas from theories of psychotherapy. Fourth, they tend to minimize other forms of insight that focuses more on social explanation. In short, when these books are done well, they often provide some useful advice, but most of the neuroscience is largely irrelevant, and is just a way to make the ideas seem more convincing. When they are done badly, they are no more useful than a book of new-age spirituality.
The Teenage Brain is engagingly written, with plenty of anecdotes about the author's own children when they were teenagers. It covers many areas of concern to parents including sleep, drugs, alcohol, stress, mental illness, cell phones, sports and concussion (probably the chapter that makes the most use of brain science in ways to helpfully guide parental decisions), and criminal behavior. Oddly, there's not much about sexual behavior. It goes into the differences between teenagers and adults with a fair amount of detail, and gives a fairly broad picture, taking into a variety of perspectives. It tends to be reductive and simplistic, but it would be tiresome for a book to constantly acknowledging qualifications and uncertainties about its claims. It has some interesting information about the findings of modern neuroscience that help its claims. Jensen does refer quite a lot to evolutionary explanations of why teenagers are as they are, which borrows rather too much from the reader's willingness to go along with speculation, given the vastly evidentially unsupported state of evolutionary psychology when it attempts to give any detailed explanations.
Many of Jensen's anecdotes are about how parents complain to her that their teens don't think things through, don't pay attention, make rash decisions, make unwise decisions, or sleep a lot. Her response is effectively to say "it is because of their brains." Presumably, she has found that parents are given some comfort by this kind of response, or are less inclined to get frustrated when they accept this sort of explanation. It's puzzling why it would be just as good to reply "that's just the way teens are" without any reference to the brain. Jensen does spend time talking about how to change the behavior of teens, rather than simply accepting that there is nothing to be done. Fortunately, she does not recommend any brain surgery; her suggestions are all about sensible parenting.
© 2015 Christian Perring
Christian Perring, Professor of Philosophy, Dowling College, New York
Resources
-
Articles
- Adolescent Parenting Introduction
-
Healthy Teens: Food, Eating & Nutrition During Adolescence
- Teenage Caloric Requirements
- Nutritional Guidelines for Teens
- How Can Parents Help Teens to Develop Healthy Eating Habits?
- Common Nutritional Challenges for Teenagers: Adolescent Obesity
- Common Nutritional Challenges for Teenagers: Eating Disorders and Unhealthy Dieting
- Common Nutritional Challenges for Teenagers: Adolescent Diabetes
- Adolescent Diabetes Continued
- Healthy Teens: Exercise and Sports
- Healthy Teens: Sleep
- Parenting Teens: Clothing Clashes, Housing Decisions, & Financial Management
- Parenting Teens: Skincare, Cosmetics, Tattoos, & Piercings
- Caring for Teens: Healthcare for Teens and Young Adults
-
Parenting Teens: Discipline, Love, Rules & Expectations
- Parenting Teens: Discipline, Love, Rules & Expectations
- Discipline and Guidance: Early to Middle Adolescence
- Discipline and Guidance: Early to Middle Adolescence: Time Management and Family Commitments
- Discipline and Guidance: Early to Middle Adolescence: Socializing, Dating and Driving
- Discipline and Guidance: Older Adolescents and Young Adults (18 Years and Older)
-
A Parent’s Guide to Protecting Teens’ Health and Safety
- A Parent's Guide to Protecting Teens' Health & Safety
- Understanding the Risks of Adolescent Drug Use: Part II
- What Can Parents Do to Prevent Teenage Alcohol and Drug Use?
- Steps Parents Can Take to Protect Their Children from Alcohol and Other Drug Use
- Steps for Parents: Part II
- Driving Privileges and Safe Driving Practices for Young Drivers
- Parental Guidelines for Teen Driving Privileges: The Family Driving Contract
- Protecting Teens from Abusive Relationships and Dating Violence
- Protecting Teens from Teenage Fights, Gang Violence, Exposure to Sexual Predators and Graphic Internet Violence
- Protecting Teens from Teenage Bullying
- Protecting Adolescent Safety: Independent Living
- Personal Security While in Public Places
- Adolescent Parenting Summary & Conclusion
- Adolescent Parenting: References & Resources
-
Questions and Answers
-
Book & Media Reviews
-
Links
-
Videos
- Feeling down? Let's talk - Prevention of suicide among adolescents
- Teen Drug Use: 2014 Monitoring The Future Survey Results
- NPW 2017: Suicide and Substance Use in Young People
- Are We Feeding Early Puberty
- Why Teens Are Attracted to Vaping
- Is My High School Student Ready for College? (And Is My College Student Ready to Go Back?)
- Advice to Parents | Drugs & College 101
- Teen Depression Screening
- Let’s talk about depression – focus on adolescents and young adults
- The Flu Shot- Who Really Gets It
-
45 more
- Child Development: Stepping Stones - Lesson 21: Adolescence: Biosocial Development
- Child Development: Stepping Stones - Lesson 22: Adolescence: Cognitive Development
- Child Development: Stepping Stones - Lesson 24: Adolescence: Summary
- Are Your Kids Addicted to Social Media?
- Is My Child Too Young to Get the HPV Vaccine?
- Do Boys Need the HPV Vaccine?
- The Perils of Adolescence
- Tackling Concussions
- Adolescent Risk-Takers: The Power of Peers
- Energy Drink Sparking More ER Visits
- Children and Social Media: What Every Parent Should Know
- Drugs: Shatter The Myths
- The Impact of Changing Social Behaviors on Teen Drug Use
- Teen Substance Use
- Youth Suicide Risk
- Take Healthy Habits to College
- What Boys Want to Know About Puberty
- Am I Normal (Girls and Puberty)
- Money Tips for Millennials
- E-Cigarette Use in Middle and High School Students
- Teens Using E-cigarettes More Likely to Start Smoking Tobacco
- Tips For Teens With Diabetes: Be Active
- Help Teens Lower Their Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
- Adolescence: Preparing for Lifelong Health and Wellness
- Back to School: A Good Night's Sleep
- How to Talk to Teens: A Developmental Approach
- Bedtime Wake Up Call
- Game Change! Focus on Families - Engaging Young Adults and Their Families
- Endocrine System
- Behavioral Health on College Campuses
- Notebook: Sexual Harassment
- Flu Shots: Young Adults Need Immunity
- Most Teens Need a Rest
- Screen Time vs. Bedtime
- What is Puberty? Decoding Puberty in Girls
- All About Boys Puberty
- Inside Puberty: What Are the Stages of Puberty?
- Puberty Explained - What Is Happening To Your Body?
- Another Reason for Teens to Eat Their Vegetables
- Dangers of E-Cigarettes
- HPV Vaccine: A Pediatrician’s Recommendation
- Healthy Weight
- Getting through to your teenager with ADHD
- Back-to-School: A Time to Think about Health & Academics
- Impact of Cyberbullying: Addressing the Needs of Children and Youth
Topics
-
Related Topic Centers
-
Addictions
-
Aging & Elder Care
-
Assessments & Interventions
-
Career & Workplace
-
Emotional Well-Being
-
Life Issues
-
Parenting & Child Care
-
Abuse
-
ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
-
Adoption
-
Autism
-
Child & Adolescent Development: Overview
-
Child & Adolescent Development: Puberty
-
Child Development & Parenting: Early (3-7)
-
Child Development & Parenting: Infants (0-2)
-
Child Development & Parenting: Middle (8-11)
-
Child Development & Parenting:Adolescence (12-24)
-
Child Development Theory: Adolescence (12-24)
-
Child Development Theory: Middle Childhood (8-11)
-
Childhood Mental Disorders and Illnesses
-
Childhood Special Education
-
Divorce
-
Family & Relationship Issues
-
Intellectual Disabilities
-
Learning Disorders
-
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
-
Parenting
-
Self Esteem
-
-
Psychological Disorders
-
Anxiety Disorders
-
Bipolar Disorder
-
Conversion Disorders
-
Depression: Depression & Related Conditions
-
Dissociative Disorders
-
Domestic Violence and Rape
-
Eating Disorders
-
Impulse Control Disorders
-
Intellectual Disabilities
-
Mental Disorders
-
Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
-
Personality Disorders
-
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
-
Schizophrenia
-
Sexual Disorders
-
Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
-
Suicide
-
Tourettes and other Tic Disorders
-