Why is adolescence such a difficult age for parents and teens?
Adolescence involves developmental shifts that prepare the teen for adulthood: sexual maturity, intellectual capacities to think abstractly, and increasing desires for independence. As teens explore their new maturity, they find themselves in a big new world, which they must navigate without as much reliance on parents, and in which they must find an identity separate from their families. Adolescents may feel confused about who they are and where they fit with peers. Disengaging from childhood dependencies and finding one’s identity can be a tumultuous journey, and communicating with parents—from whom teens are attempting to separate—can become infused with conflicts. New research on brain development shows that adolescent impulsivity and irrationality may be due in part to immaturity in the frontal lobe areas of the brain. The frontal lobes mediate rational behavior and reasoned weighing of consequences. As a result, we see teens whose emotional self-regulation and judgment don’t keep
