By Niranjan S. Karnik, M.D., Ph.D.

Parents often wonder about what makes teenagers do certain things – talking on the phone constantly, sleeping too much, or just being difficult to their parents and other adults around them. Some teenagers are well-behaved, but as many parents know (or as some of us may recall from our own teenage years), it is also common for teens to go through a period of rebellion and resistance.

Understanding such behaviors requires an understanding of the teen mind and the context in which this mind develops. A little bit of patience with this development process also helps both parents and teens get through this sometimes difficult time.

Science and medicine are only beginning to understand the development of the human brain. The brain is a biological organ in the human body. The mind, however, is a separate and larger phenomenon that incorporates the brain (with its many functions like social life, cultural beliefs, morality and complex emotions).

Researchers at several medical centers and the National Institute of Mental Health have been studying the ways that the teen brain develops. They have come to challenge our previous notions that brain development stops early in childhood. We now know that brain development continues well into the 20s for most people and that the brain retains a certain degree of ability to modify itself for a very long time.

Among the last brain circuits to form are those that run to the forefront of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, where key decision making is thought to take place. This may be why teenagers often seem to act in emotion-driven irrational ways. They simply don’t have all of the connections to the prefrontal cortex that adults do. In addition, teens haven't had certain life experiences yet that can help their decision making.

Of course, such biological explanations should not be mistaken for excuses for teenagers to act without limits. We are all more than the sum of our parts, and social and cultural forces have powerful influences in helping teens regulate and develop controls over their behaviors. Teenagers watch adults around them for cues on how to act and behave – a fact that has been confirmed by both psychological and sociological literature. Teens are modeling their behavior on what they see in their peers and adults. Simply put, as parents and concerned adults, we need to act in ways that will help shape the kind of persons we hope our children will become.

Being a teenager has never been easy, and as the world changes, so do the challenges facing teens and their parents. However, a better understanding of brain development can help parents, adults and educators more successfully guide teens through this challenging stage of life and into adulthood, where you can both enjoy the rewards of a positive parent-child relationship.

Parenting Teens: Resources for Moms and Dads

Sometimes it helps to step back and look at the big picture of challenges your child – and you – face in the coming years. Visit PAMF's Online Resources for Parents, for a list of outside resources, recommended books and more that offer a broader perspective on parenting a preteen and parenting a teen.

Dr. Karnik is a physician at the Fremont Center's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. He has a special interest in adolescents and college-age youth, aggression and disruptive behaviors, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autism. He also serves as an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Social Medicine at the University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco.