PROM_WhoIsThatGorgeousBrainInTheMirror_Participant_Handout

P.R.O.M – a multifaceted series on
adolescent brain development
Who is that Gorgeous Brain in the Mirror?
Adolescent Brain Basics
1© 2009 REVOY  MaryAdele Revoy  revoy@whoisrevoy.com  www.whoisrevoy.com
P.R.O.M
Practical. Researched. Organic. Materials & Methods.
Old School
Philosophy of Human Nature
Theoretical ideas
Nature versus Nurture
© 2009
Field of Adolescent Development

Storm & Stress
Hormonal changes in puberty
cause upheaval thus it is a
Identity Crisis
Must be able to answer the
“Who am I” questioncause upheaval, thus it is a
biological process that
everyone must go through.
(G. Stanley Hall)
Who am I question
which is a crisis that is greatly
influenced by peers.
(Erik Erikson)
© 2009
New School
 Multi‐disciplinary approach
 Incredible technology
 Amazing findings
 Impact may have domino
effect
© 2009

So what are they finding?
 Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is still developing
 The amygdala and limbic system are
powerful influences on the adolescent
 Myelination of the axons intensifies
 Puberty is separate from adolescent brain
development
 3 Stages of adolescence and within each
stage there are changes in biological,
cognitive, and social structures
 G d i il iti d d diff
© 2009
 Gender similarities and gender differences
 Technology can impact the developing brain
 Brain’s plasticity is still there so there is
hope and potential
PREFRONTAL
CORTEX
 Known as the “CEO” of the
Brain
 Planning
 L i l i Logical Processing
 Controlling Impulses
 Anticipating Consequences
 Balancing Risks & Rewards
 Closely connected to the
Limbic System
© 2009
Limbic System
 Location of human conscience,
regulating ability to tell right
from wrong

Phineas Gage
© 2009
© 2009

Early Adolescence
Ages 10-13
Late Adolescence
Ages 18-21/25
Middle Adolescence
Ages 14-17
Boys may hit puberty
as early as 9.5 yos or
as late as 13.5 yos
Gray matter
peaks in girls at
11 yos
Gray matter
peaks in boys
at 12yos
Girls height & weight
gain; menstruation; acne
Boys height & weight gain;
voice change; acne
At 16yo lose gray matter
in frontal lobes
Pruning begins
Fine tuning of
inhibition control &
working memory
Brain is “stable”;
reaches its max
weight near age 20
Girls may start puberty
as early as 7 yos and as
late as 13 yos
© 2009
Slow Processing Time
Amygdala used more often PFC used more often
Faster Processing Time
Intellectual
Maturity Reached
Psychosocial
still
developing
“Emerging Adulthood” ages 21…
 New phenomenon?

© 2009
 Linked to puberty?

Limbic
System
© 2009
Neurotransmitters + Hormones
© 2009
Associated With Puberty
[endocrine system]
Associated With the Brain
[neurological system]

Signs of the Times
EARLY MIDDLE LATE
Ages 10-13 Ages 14-17 Ages 18-21/25
Puberty
1) Rapid acceleration in growth (height &
weight)
2) Development of primary sex characteristics
(testes & ovaries)
3) Development of secondary sex characteristics
(genitals, breasts, pubic hair, facial hair &
body hair)
4) Changes in body composition (quantity &
© 2009
distribution of fat and muscle)
5) Changes in circulatory & respiratory systems
which lead to increased strength & tolerance
for exercise

1. Hormonal changes  Changes in Behavior
Puberty May Affect Behavior
3 H l  A  R ti  B h i
2. Hormonal 
Changes
Appearance 
Changes
Self-image 
Changes
Behavior
Changes
© 2009
3. Hormonal 
Changes
Appearance 
Changes
Reaction 
of Others
to Changes
Behavior
Changes
Sexuality
© 2009

Feeling PLUS Idea
© 2009
Emotions in Boys
• Processing of emotions remains in the amygdala
d l t f th b iand lower parts of the brain
• Boys will cry only under very stressful and safe
conditions
• Less verbal style – not specific brain skills
• Don’t read emotions as well – takes up to 7 hours
longer to process complex emotional responses
• Experience, express, and expel their feelings
h i ll
© 2009
physically
• Higher levels of risk-taking behaviors
• Unrealistically high estimations of own
performance

Emotions in Girls
• Processing of emotions moves to the
t d hi h t f th b icortex and higher parts of the brain
• Reach emotional maturity earlier
• Better able to talk about feelings – have
specific areas in both sides of brain
• More sensitive to facial expressions
• Experience express and expel their
© 2009
• Experience, express, and expel their
emotions internally
• More critical of own performance
Impact of Trauma and/or
Abuse on the Developing
Adolescent Brain
 If the adolescent is that child with a history of abuse & trauma, then they
may have been living in a high cortical state for years due to the chronic
stress.
 Chronic stress from fear, violence, abuse, hunger, pain, etc. focuses the
brain’s resources on survival and other areas of the brain are not “available”
for learning social and cognitive skills
© 2009
for learning social and cognitive skills.
 Many cortical & subcortical structures may be preferentially affected by early
maltreatment: hippocampus, amygdala, PFC, and corpus callosum.

Trauma and Delinquency
4 particular adaptations by abused children who turn
to anti‐social behaviors:to anti social behaviors:
(1) Hypersensitivity to negative social cues
(2) Obliviousness to positive social cues
(3) Readily accessible menu of aggressive
behavior
(4) Belief that aggression is a successful strategy
© 2009
( ) gg gy
in social relations
STRESS
DEFINED AS:
“environmental events or chronic conditions
that objectively threaten the physical and/or
psychological health or well‐being of
individuals of a particular age in a particular
society”
© 2009
y
‐ Grant, K., Behling, S., Gipson, P. & Ford, R. (2005). Adoelscent stress: The relationship between stress
and mental health problems. The Prevention Researcher, 12(3), 5.

Impact of Stress
on the Developing
Adolescent Brain
 Stressful situation causes stress system to activate a group of
biological mechanisms that result in a boost of strength, energy
and other items to help us cope.
 Acute (short term) stress increases memory & learning. Chronic
(long term) stress shrinks regions of the PFC and hippocampus.
 A developmental shift occurs between late childhood and early
© 2009
p y
adolescence in stress reactions and coping ‐ based on major
biological, cognitive, and social developments.
 Greater stress reactivity and challenges in displaying and
interpreting emotional responses when compared to adults.
Impact of Stress
BOYS
 More likely to respond either by distracting
themselves or by turning their feelingsthemselves or by turning their feelings
outward in aggressive behavior or AODA
GIRLS
 Early adolescence is more stressful for girls
than boys due to body changes of puberty
 More likely to experience multiple stressors
i d j f l i
© 2009
at one time and just more stressful events in
life overall
 More orientation toward and sensitivity to
interpersonal relations
 More likely to turn feelings inward [i.e.
ruminating over the problem, feeling
helpless, etc. leading to depression]

Cycle of Stress
INTERNALIZING
 Covert in nature

Life
Stressor
 Sadness, fear, depression &
anxiety
 Once set in motion during
early adolescence, tend to
persist across the years of
adolescence
EXTERNALIZING
 Overt in nature
InternalizingMaladjustment
© 2009
 Physical aggression,
delinquency, & other conduct
problems
 Problem behaviors increase
risk of more stressful life
events, creating a reciprocal
process
Externalizing
Aggression & “Violent Brain”
 Male gender is the most important risk factor;
outward physical aggression
 Girls & women, also violent, but indirect, covert
aggression
 “Frontal Brain Hypothesis” – brain injury
 Brain structure abnormalities
 Low levels of serotonin
© 2009
 Low levels of serotonin
 Psychosocial risk factors

Coping with Stress
Impacted by several factors:
 individual’s coping behaviors and abilities
 social supports when experience happened
 individual’s assessment of the importance of
the event
 assessment of how negative the event is or
what impact it has on other areas in one’s life
 h th th t i t ll bl
© 2009
 whether the event is controllable or
uncontrollable
Bliss & Happiness
Complex process of laughter involves
th b i ( iti tthree brain areas (cognitive, movement
and emotion).
Certain activity in the prefrontal cortex
is essential for joy.
© 2009

Moody & Meds
 Popular group of meds used to regulate the levels of
(1) serotonin and (2) norepinephrine.(1) serotonin and (2) norepinephrine.
 The need for meds or the type of meds may change
as adolescent develops.
 Cultural issues, stereotypes, and problems around
© 2009
yp p
meds.
 Educate adolescents about their meds!
“What Do I See? Who Am I?”
As a person who is advancing in education?
As a woman? man?
As a Sexual Being?
As a person trying to gain independence?
As a person working with kids?
As a mom/dad? aunt/uncle?
/ ?
© 2009
As someone’s girlfriend or boyfriend?
As a person who joins the work force?
grandma/grandpa?

Me, Myself & I of Egocentrism
(1) Creation of a
h i ht d f
(2) Development of a
l f bl i hi hheightened sense of
self‐consciousness in
which the teenager
imagines that he/she is
the focus of everyone’s
personal fable in which
they believe that their
experiences are unique
© 2009
attention
“But it’s not FAIR”
 Insist idealistically on what should be and are
intolerant of anything that seems unfair or y g
arbitrary
 With the growth of autonomy & resistance to
authority, they will challenge social conventions in
the name of principle
 May develop elaborate philosophical arguments to
justify their behavior

© 2009
 As part of egocentrism, they may argue that the
rule is valid in general but not applicable in their
case

Expansion of Egocentrism
ME
Peer
CultureCommunity
Family
Unit
© 2009
Beautiful Adolescent Brains
More and more
h kiresearchers are making
the argument that
adolescence is not a
time of “storm & stress”
or identity crisis but a
© 2009
or identity crisis, but a
time of hope and
potential.

Developmental Assets
40 building blocks for healthy development of adolescents
ages 12‐18
External InternalExternal
 Support
 Empowerment
 Boundaries &
Expectations
Internal
 Commitment to
Learning
 Positive Values
 Social Competencies
 P iti Id tit
© 2009
 Constructive Use of
Time
 Positive Identity
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
 A process for helping children and even adults
develop the fundamental skills for life effectivenessdevelop the fundamental skills for life effectiveness.
 SEL Teaches the skills we all need to handle
ourselves, our relationships, and our work,
effectively and ethically.
 Skills that allow children to calm themselves when
angry make friends resolve conflicts respectfully
© 2009
angry, make friends, resolve conflicts respectfully,
and make ethical and safe choices.

SEL Teaches 21st Century Skills
 Critical thinking and problem‐solving
 Ethi d i l ibilit Ethics and social responsibility
 Communication
 Teamwork and collaboration
 Lifelong learning and self‐direction
 Leadership
© 2009
 Global awareness
Source: Partnership for 21st Century Skills

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