The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids

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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Dec 18, 2007 - Family & Relationships - 256 pages
A groundbreaking look at the teenage brain for anyone who has puzzled over the mysterious and often infuriating behavior of a teenager.
 
While many members of the scientific community have long held that the growing pains of adolescence are primarily psychological, Barbara Strauch highlights the physical nature of the transformation, offering parents and educators a new perspective on erratic teenage behavior. Using plain language, Strauch draws upon the latest scientific discoveries to make the case that the changes the brain goes through during adolescence are as dramatic and crucial as those that take place in the first two years of life, and that teenagers are not entirely responsible for their sullen, rebellious, and moody ways. Featuring interviews with scientists, teenagers, parents, and teachers, The Primal Teen explores common challenges–why teens go from articulate and mature one day to morose and unreachable the next, why they engage in risky behavior–and offers practical strategies to help manage these formative and often difficult years.
 

Contents

The New Science of the Teenage Brain
3
THE PASSION WITHIN
11
THE AGE OF IMPULSE
23
ALTERED STATES
37
Growing and Pruning Toward Maturity
51
From Chimps to Chekhov
75
THE NEURONS OF LOVE
145
How Biology Shuts Off the Alarm
157
On the Path to Maturity
203
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About the author (2007)

Barbara Strauch, was a reporter and newspaper editor who directed health and science coverage for The New York Times for a decade. Prior to joining The New York Times, she had covered science and medical issues in Boston and Houston and directed Pulitzer Prize-winning news at Newsday. She was also the author of two books about the brain.
 
Barbara Strauch died in 2015 at the age of 63.

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