It Must be Neurological!UNDERSTANDING THE TEEN BRAIN & TEEN
BEHAVIOR by Myrna Beth Haskell Many parents would probably agree
that their teen’s clothing and music choices are strange at
times, but most find ways to deal with these kinds of issues.
However, when a teen behaves like Pollyanna one moment and the
Wicked Witch of the West the next, and then has the audacity to
claim her mood is somehow her parent’s fault, it’s hard to
remain rational. Teens can be reckless, selfcentered, impulsive,
and impatient. It is no wonder an otherwise calm and reasonable
parent can lose her cool. How does a once predictable and well-
behaved child turn into an erratic and irritable stranger?
Hormones might help to explain mood swings, but adolescent angst
is much more complicated than that. Does the developing brain
have something to do with a teen’s inexplicable behavior? It
must be neurological… right? The Teen Brain Some experts point
out that neurological studies help explain teen behavior, while
others claim a teen’s cul