Relationship Between Brain Development and Adolescent Judgment and Risk Taking

Adolescence is a transitional phase of typical development, diverse from the childhood- when behavior regulation is the role of parents and adulthood- when one is responsible for their behavior. Therefore, a primary function of the adolescence stage is the acquiring of a sense of self, which entails separation from parents, personal identity, and individuation. Age- frequently ways in which adolescents form their characters and develop adult skills comprising of experimentation and novelty-seeking behaviors, which examines the restriction, these actions are perceived to serve several adaptive purpose entailing socialization and protection. However, according to Mello, et al., (2018), in testing the experimentation, the adolescent may engage in drug and substance abuse, reckless driving and unsafe sex.

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Moreover, most youths do not continue with the risky experimentation beyond adolescence stage. This is because one has already established his/her personality and identity. According to a study that was conducted by Synder in 1998, indicated that only a small portion of youth engage in risky behavior in adulthood. Therefore, much adolescent association with illegal activity is an allowance of the type of risk taking which is part of the developmental process of identity formation, and most adolescents mature out of these tendencies.

Cognitive and behavioral adolescent development theories indicate that the stage of adolescents differs from the rest of the scene because of three reasons that are responsible for their dangerous habits. First, teenage lack maturity ability for self- governance in emotionally charged situations, relative to children and adults, second, adolescents have an amplified sensitivity to proximal peripheral influences, such as peer pressure and direct inducements, comparative to adults. Third, adolescents demonstrate less capability to drive into judgments and decisions, which need future coordination the mixture of these three cognitive outlines explanations for the propensity of adolescents to desire and to participate in risky behaviors, which have a high likelihood of instant incentive, but in equivalent, can lead to harm to self or to others

Besides, puberty comprises physical transformation to the body instigated by gonad hormones to which the adolescent must adjust. These hormones also affect brain and action by binding to testosterone and estrogen receptors in the brain (Adolescent psychosocial development, 580). These hormonal and brain changes overlap with amplified sexual activity and with changes in stimulation and the salience of motivational incitements, thus, brain changes precisely allied with puberty are reliable with broader brain and behavior configurations, which happen during adolescence, which results, to poor self-regulation, intensified sensitivity to peer influence, and sensitive responsively to instant rewards.

Conclusion

In conclusion, adolescent risk taking is because of interaction between the normal developments elements of adolescents' and the environmental influences to which they are exposed during this significant phase of development.

Works cited

'Adolescent psychosocial development: A review of longitudinal models and research,' Correction to Meeus (2016). Developmental Psychology [serial online]. March 2017;53(3):580. Available from: PsycARTICLES, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 19, 2018.

Mello, Z. R., Walker, E. B., Finan, L. J., Stiasny, A., Wiggers, I. S., McBroom, K. A., & Worrell, F. C. (2018). Time perspective, psychological outcomes, and risky behavior among runaway adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 22(3), 233-243. doi:10.1080/10888691.2016.1276455