Adolescent, brain development, brain growth, socio-cultural factors, teenager, behavior, family, media, sport, education, social networks, positive socialization, youth engagement, adolescent behavior, environment, biological influence, healthy development, brain systems, heredity
The influence of brain development on the real-life behaviors of adolescents is a multi-faceted issue and deserves further discussion. Research has shown that the brain systems that manage impulse control, planning, and risk-reward balance mature in the late teens (Steinberg, 2017, p.179). However, the risks falling under drug experimentation and unsafe sex are evidently not the same in different countries. This difference demonstrates that the meta-relationship between neurochanges and behavior is not a normal one but instead a web of cultural and environmental factors. Lawrence Steinberg's chapter on "Work, Leisure and Media", among others in the book "Adolescence", gives much-needed information on this subject.
[...] Participation in organized activities Studies have found that planned leisure activities might be helpful in ensuring the proper development of adolescents. Involvement in sports opportunities was related to lower participation in drug abuse, crime and delinquent behaviour, as well as superior academic performance and social-emotional competence among adolescents. This implies that these organized activities offer teenagers a chance to hone crucial life skills, establish kind relationships, and take part in rewarding activities, thus preventing people from switching to adverse behaviours. Alongside that, the chapter looks at the effect of media platforms, specifically social media, on teenagers' growth. When teenagers get exposed to controversial media content, they may occasionally display some adverse effects. However, Steinberg mentions the potential of social media to promote positive socialization and youth engagement. [...]
[...] Brain Growth and Impulse Control in Adolescents The influence of brain development on the real-life behaviours of adolescents is a multi-faceted issue and deserves further discussion. Research has shown that the brain systems that manage impulse control, planning, and risk-reward balance mature in the late teens (Steinberg p.179). However, the risks falling under drug experimentation and unsafe sex are evidently not the same in different countries. This difference demonstrates that the meta-relationship between neurochanges and behaviour is not a normal one but instead a web of cultural and environmental factors. [...]
[...] Family-oriented strategies are inclusive of interactive training sessions and the provision of guidance and resources to aid adolescents and their families in dealing with the unique challenges of this particular developmental stage. While considering the social and cultural contexts they face, it can also be essential (Steinberg p. 190). Moreover, community-based efforts that are designed to provide adolescents with structured leisure activities and positive social interaction outside the internet can reduce the risks of idle time and unhealthy use of media come with. [...]
[...] In conclusion, the wide range of risky cross-cultural behaviours among adolescents gives reason to a notion of the inter-relatedness of biological and social influences on adolescents. As Steinberg has outlined, there is no simple association between teenage behaviours and brain development. Instead, it is a multivariate process that includes societal, cultural, as well as contextual inputs. Through this analysis, scientists and active practitioners can create the most benevolent interventions, allowing for an effective sustaining of the adolescents' healthy development and, thus, the society as a whole. References Steinberg, L. (2017). Adolescence (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education. [...]
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