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MINDFUL MAGAZINE

3 Common Myths About the Teen Brain

Dan Siegel, bestselling author of Brainstorm, on the subject.

Illustration by Mariko Jesse

By Stephany Tlalka (http://www.mindful.org/stephany)

Dan Siegel, award-winning educator, child psychiatrist, and author of New York

Times bestseller Brainstorm, explores the power and purpose of the teenage brain in

Mindful’s June issue. Siegel talks about the brain science behind teen angst and how

to turn parents’ concerns into understanding and confrontation into connection.

Siegel warns that some of the popular misconceptions we have about the teen brain

are making life more difficult for adolescents and adults alike. He shares how

science is refuting three long-held myths we mistakenly believe about what makes

teens tick:

Myth No. 1: Raging Hormones Make You Crazy

Yes, hormones do increase during this period, but they don’t determine the ins and

outs of adolescence—that’s for another piece of anatomy. “We now know that what

adolescents experience is primarily the result of changes in the development of the

brain,” Siegel writes:

Knowing we’re dealing with developmental and neurological changes—and

not a kid hopped up on hormones—undercuts one of the most powerful

myths we hold about the teen years.

Myth No. 2: You Just Need to Grow Up

That old phrase, “It’s just a phase,” is not helping. It stems from this idea we have

about teenage-hood being a time of mindless upheaval that has to be endured by

parents and teens alike. On the contrary, argues Siegel, this upheaval is fruitful and

even foundational. Even seemingly senseless behaviors have purpose—beyond

confounding parents. Siegel writes:

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In very key ways, the ‘work’ of adolescence—the testing of boundaries, the

passion to explore what is unknown and exciting—can lay the stage for the

development of core character traits that will enable adolescents to go on to

lead great lives of adventure and purpose.

Adolescence is turbulent—but teens aren’t just being “crazy” or “immature.” Not

just a phase that needs to be grown out of, adolescence is actually a period of

growth characterized by “emotional intensity, social engagement, and creativity.” So

it’s not about surviving teenage-hood, but understanding and learning from these

new desires and drives in ways that enable teens to thrive.

Myth No. 3: Strive for Total Independence

The image of your kid stuffing that final duffle bag into an over-packed station

wagon has been cemented in our collective memories, thanks to Hollywood. Beyond

fantasy, it is true that teens are pushing for independence during these years and

spending more time with friends. But leaving home is not the final frontier for teens

to start their passage into adulthood—and Siegel says everyone around the table

should aim for interdependence: “The healthy move to adulthood is toward

interdependence, not complete ‘do-it-yourself ’ isolation.”

In other words, adolescents still benefit from being around adults, even if they are

predisposed to nurturing friend bonds more during this period. Siegel writes:

Ultimately, we learn to move from needing others’ care during childhood, to

pushing away from our parents and other adults and learning to lean more

on our peers during adolescence, to then learning to both give care and

receive help from others. That’s interdependence.

For more than just this Glimpse:

See the full table of contents (http://www.mindful.org/mindful-magazine/june-2014-issue)

for Mindful's June 2014 issue. Order a subscription in print edition (https://subscribe.pcspublink.com

/sub/subscribe.aspx?guid=ed43f1fc-9f67-41e5-8532-6edbd0ffc4d7) or digital edition(https://subscribe.pcspublink.com/sub/subscribe.aspx?guid=6f4c45e9-6373-450e-

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