Teenagers are searching. They are in a very pivotal stage of life where they are running toward independence, but aren’t quite ready for it. Middle school is the time when children begin their search for identity and where they fit in the world. In high school the search broadens and deepens. Unfortunately, in the church they are confirmed before the journey ends. How can we better understand the teenage brain?
The teenage brain is like a race car that’s ready to run full out emotionally and hormonally, but has faulty brakes. You can never be quite sure they’re going to work. Hormones are coursing through the brain, emotions are up and down, in and out as the brain learns to deal with them. Estrogen and progesterone affect mood control in girls and testosterone affects aggression and fear in boys. Not only that, but those same hormones are the sex hormones and during the teen years they are active in the emotional center of the brain.