- STORM AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT DURING ADOLESCENCE
Anna Freud defined adolescence as "storm and stress" in the 1950s. He said that this period was a period of contradictions. According to A.Freud, adolescents "on the one hand, see themselves as the center of the universe, and on the other hand, have the urge to connect and sacrifice themselves more than any other period of life; On the one hand, the person who can have passionate love relationships and then suddenly leave this relationship; On the one hand, they eagerly throw themselves into social life, but on the other hand, they long for solitude; they treat other people rudely and thoughtlessly, but are extremely sensitive when it comes to themselves; It is an age group whose emotions fluctuate between optimism and pessimism.
The psychological change that occurs during adolescence and the reasons for this change have attracted the attention of many researchers, and many theories have been produced on this subject. Recently, with the advancement of medicine, techniques have been developed that can observe the living brain while it is working. These brain imaging studies have enabled us to answer many questions about adolescence. While it was previously thought that "brain development was completed around the age of three", studies conducted with advanced techniques today show that brain development continues until the thirties. It shows that from now on, a continuous change continues in the brain due to environmental stimuli and that the brain is not a static organ as previously thought. The brain can change with environmental influences in every period of life. The difference in the rapid change that occurs in the brain during adolescence is that it is a process of change that begins not only due to environmental influences but also due to biological programming.
Why is adolescence a period of storm and stress or what risk factors determine whether this transition is easy or not? A perspective that combines biological development and psychological development is required to understand how difficult it is to have a child.
By the time a child reaches the age of 6, the brain volume has reached 95% of the adult volume. However, the gray matter (that is, the part formed by the neuron cells responsible for the functioning of the brain) continues to thicken throughout childhood, creating a gap between the brain cells. connections are established. Thus, by the pre-adolescent period, the brain has great potential for use. With adolescence, the brain undergoes a change that will enable it to be used more effectively, under the influence of hormones on the one hand, and factors such as education, family and nutrition on the other. Total brain volume reaches its peak at an average age of 14.5 in boys and 11.5 in girls. After this, an organization process begins in the brain. Gray matter, that is, neurons, which are the main cellular structures in the brain, first increases and then undergoes pruning during adolescence. White matter, which covers neurons and increases the speed of electrical conduction in these cells, continues to increase until the thirties. During this change process, some intercellular connections that are not used in the adolescent brain are pruned, just like pruning tree branches. The connections used begin to communicate faster and more economically. This is a change such as closing unused secondary roads and intersections, while converting more frequently used roads into highways; It accelerates the functioning of the brain and makes it more economical. The "use it or lose it" principle determines which links will be used and which will be pruned. The adolescent brain is like a marble ready to be carved at the beginning of adolescence, and at the end of adolescence, the details of the sculpture made of this marble have now emerged. If an adolescent continues to exercise his brain on a certain subject during this period, these connections will be strengthened, and those that are not used will be canceled.
Recent studies have shown that, contrary to what was previously known, the maturation process of the brain is not completed in early adolescence and the change is not only related to sexual maturation. shows. There are two important observations that will help us better understand psychological development during this period. First, the brain development that occurs during adolescence specifically involves brain regions that regulate behavior and emotions and perceive and evaluate risk and reward. The second is that the change in arousal caused by sexual maturation occurs before the development of regulatory skills. This situation affects the adolescent's ability to control emotional experiences, arousal and desire. It means the development of data at different times. According to one view, this situation can be defined as "the engine of the car starting to work without a skilled driver at the steering wheel".
br /> The reason for most of the inconsistencies in adolescence is that the development in different regions of the brain occurs at different times. For example, the frontal lobes, which are considered the executive centers in the brain; It is responsible for issues such as planning, strategy formation, organizational skills, and directing attention. However, these regions are the regions in the brain that complete their development last. On the other hand, the development of centers related to emotional and sexual arousal, affect, wishes and desires is more related to puberty. Pubertal maturation is directly linked to interest in the opposite sex and sexual desire, and is responsible not only for the development specific to the female or male gender in the body structure, but also for the development in the brain. There are studies showing that increased emotional intensity and reactivity are related to pubertal changes, that is, the effect of hormones on the brain. The increase in adolescent-parent conflicts is related to the level of hormonal development rather than age. Characteristics such as sensation seeking, risk taking, and boldness are also linked to pubertal developments rather than chronological age. It has also been shown that there is a parallelism between the increase in reproductive hormones and the increase in sensitivity to social status.
Regulating these emotions does not happen immediately, it is a skill that needs to be developed. Regulation of emotions means“expressing an emotion or this emotion according to certain rules, goals, strategies; It means stopping, delaying or changing (for the sake of the goal or to avoid learned negative consequences). This skill is related to chronological age and requires the executive systems in the brain to complete their development.
These developmental differences are largely responsible for the risk-taking, openness to new experiences, experimenting with alcohol and substance use, and excitement-seeking behaviors seen in adolescents. Unfortunately, alcohol and substance use in adolescence can have permanent effects on a developing brain. The adolescent's behavioral and emotional regulatory mechanisms are not yet developed. It is an important problem that the adolescent brain encounters these risks at a very sensitive period before it develops.
These latest findings on adolescent brain development have been of great help in understanding adolescents. At the same time, they are important inventions for many systems such as education and judiciary. Based on these findings, American researchers argue that it is necessary to make changes in many areas, from the age at which young people can obtain a driver's license to the regulation of the age of criminal responsibility. However, the most important issue is the issue regarding the regulations to be made regarding the education of young people. Keeping in mind that brain development in adolescence is based on the principle of "use it or lose it", it is now time to take measures to provide an education that can support both physical, social and academic skills for adolescents and to ensure that adolescents are willing to receive this education. It is really important.
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