Cognitive and Socioemotional Development

Samantha’s father began to worry when his daughter was in sixth grade. Suddenly, his sweet little princess was becoming so selfish, so moody, and so rude. She began to question everything, from her 10 o’clock curfew to why poverty exists. At the same time, she had to buy clothes with the right designer label and immediately download the latest music. She wanted to be an individual, but her clique shaped every decision. She got hysterical if anyone looked at her the wrong way. Worse yet, Samantha was hanging out with the middle school “popular” crowd—smoking, drinking, not doing her homework, cutting class.

Her twin brother, Sam, couldn’t have been more different. Sam was obedient, an honor student, captain of the basketball team. He mellowly sailed into his teenage years. Actually, Sam defied the categories. He was smart and a jock; he really had heart. Sam volunteered with disabled children. He effortlessly moved among the nerdy brains, the popular kids, and the artsy groups at school. Still, this model child was also caught smoking and sampling the occasional joint. The most heart-stopping example happened when the police picked up Sam and a carload of buddies for drag racing on the freeway. Sam’s puzzled explanation: “Something just took over and I stopped thinking, Dad.”

If you looked beneath the surface, however, both of his children were great. They were thoughtful, caring, and capable of having the deepest discussions about life. They simply seemed to get caught up in the moment and lose their minds—especially when they were with their friends. What really is going on in the teenage mind?

Think of our contradictory stereotypes about the teenage mind. Teenagers are supposed to be idealistic, thoughtful, and introspective; concerned with larger issues; pondering life in deeper ways; but also impulsive, moody, and out of control. We expect them to be the ultimate radicals, rejecting everything adults say, and the consummate conformists, dominated by the crowd, driven by the latest craze, totally influenced by their peers.

These contradictory ideas are mirrored in a confusing welter of laws relating to when teens are considered “adult.” In the United States, adolescents can sometimes be tried in adult court at 14, at an age when they are barred from seeing R-rated movies. Deemed mature enough to vote at age 18, U.S. teens are unable to buy liquor until age 21. How is science shedding light on the elusive teenage mind? That is the subject of the chapter you are about to read.