The Adult Brain: Adolescence Brain And The Adult Brain

There is not doubt that the mind is a complex thing. But just how complex it is and how does our mind evolve throughout the years? Adolescence is an important part of development. Not only is it physical development but it is also cognitive. The brain starts to understand more and starts growing and expanding its ideas and ways of thinking. Through puberty the adolescence is at risk for many problems. Whether it be delinquency, drugs, or anorexia.

Adolescence Brain and The Adult Brain

The adolescence brain and the adult brain are very different. Some might say that when teens reach the adolescence age they are a completely new person. An adolescence brain undergoes significant structural changes (Giedd & others,2012). The transition from childhood

This disorder is one of the ones more common in adolescent girls than in boys. It is about 10 times more likely to occur in females than in males (Santrock, 2013). There are certain characteristics that someone needs to have in order to be diagnosed as anorexic. One of which is weighing less than 85 percent of what they should weigh, intense fear of gaining weight that doesn’t go down even when you do loss weight, distorted image of own body shape (Steward & others,2012), and having amenorrhea which is the lack of menstruation. This disorder typically beings in the early to middle adolescent years often following an episode of dieting and some type of stress (Fitzpatrick,2012). Mcarthy stated that the physical development that accompanies the adolescent years is more extensive than that experienced at any other time of life (aside from infancy). Many adolescences are at risk for anorexia because of their peers a recent research (e.g., Jones and Crawford 2006) suggests the important role peers may play in shaping adolescents’ feelings about their bodies. Friendship is an important role in the adolescence development. Sullivan (1953) stated that adolescents report disclosing intimate and personal information to their friends more often than they do with their parents. Although having friends can be a development advantage not all friendships are the same. This differs in that people keep different types of company. It is a developmental disadvantage to have coercive, conflict-ridden, and poor quality friendships ( Ali &Dwyer,2011;Poulin & others, 2011). Advantages occur when the adolescents have friends who are socially, skilled supportive, and oriented toward academic achievement (Rodkin & Ryan,2012; Ryan,2011). The positive relationships with peers is associated with lower levels of delinquency substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, and bullying victimization