Understanding Adolescence

with Nicola Morgan

Information, classroom materials and chances to win books: www.nicolamorgan.com

For schools and teachers

How you can get more information:

• My books– About your teenage brain: – About teenage stress:

• My website: www.nicolamorgan.com– And my blog– Ask me a question

• Your handouts today• My presentation is online – see my blog today

Generalisations

• All teenagers are different• But they all go through “adolescence”,

involving physical and mental changes

Brain differences in brief

A. 3 stages, from age c11 (Gs usually before Bs)1. Major increase in neural connections2. Major pruning (ie loss) of connections3. Strengthening (“myelination”) of connections

B. Prefrontal cortex develops last (mid 20s)C. Some different brain activity (eg in social

embarrassment and risk/emotion)

In practice 1: Lost connections

• Diminishing of a previous skill – demoralising and stressful

• Clumsiness – especially in boys, as the cerebellum changes more dramatically

• Strategy: knowing how brain learns

In practice 2: Sleep

Sleep

• Teenagers need average 9.25 hours• But melatonin switches on later at night• And off later in the morning• So very likely to be sleep deprived

(See handout for strategies)

In practice 3: Emotions

Strong emotions + weaker control

• Strong amygdala overpowering weaker pfc• NB hormones + stress also affect emotions• Poorer at recognising emotions in faces

PFC

Amygdala

In practice 4: Risk-taking

Risk-taking

• Evolutionary drive/biology encourages risk:– Dopamine – in brain’s “reward systems”– In some, reward systems more active– And even more when peers are present

• Again, amygdala may overpower pfc• More weight on immediate pleasure• Strategy: provision, knowledge, reframing

In practice 5: Maturing mind

Maturing minds

• See wider picture + connections• Interested in wider world – hungry for ideas• Other POVs + empathy (not always at home…)• Analytical ability – literature teachers will note• Developing personal moral values• Improving control + impulse inhibition

Stage of life: stresses

Understanding what stress is

• Biological response to prepare body and brain for action

• Adrenalin and cortisol => super-performance• Unless too much (panic) or too long

(“suffering” stress) => poor performance, health, sleep, mood etc

Teenage stresses

• Perfect storm of change inside and out: brains, bodies, chemistry, friends, fears, expectations, pressures

• “New” stresses: exams + internet• Biggest stresses: exams and friendship issues• Biological differences: eg a) self-consciousness

b) more brain activity c) slower adaptation• All worries/stresses lead to “Preoccupation”

“Preoccupation”

• If part of our attention is on something else, we cannot perform 100% on the task in hand

• Preoccupation diminishes performance/IQ:– Cognitive capacity (aspects of learning)– Executive control (aspects of behaviour)

Tools for teenagers

Need to understand (don’t over-estimate):• What stress IS – good and bad• Breathing skills – for panic or feeling stressed• Daily down-time – how to choose • Value of sleep, reading for pleasure, exercise• How to find trusted adults• Everything changes – “This shall pass”• RELAXATION IS NOT A LUXURY

Intrusive thoughts – a CBT tool

• Every thought is only a pathway in the brain• The brain learns by repetition, creating strong

pathways that are easy to follow• But the brain can learn negative, unhelpful

things, too => negative intrusive thoughts

Understanding Adolescence

with Nicola Morgan

Information, events, training, classroom resources and chances to win books: www.nicolamorgan.com