The Horrible Teens By Elizabeth Kolbert - 999 Words

Teenagers. What did you think about when you read the first sentence? Was it that teens are those one track minded creatures that no one can really understand although they were in fact once a teen themselves. Perhaps you were thinking what causes them to act the way they do? Well, in the essay â€Å"The Terrible Teens† by Elizabeth Kolbert, Kolbert gives her insight on teenagers and what causes them to act a certain way with the insert of theories from Frances Jensen and Laurence Steinberg. Kolbert goes on to support the theories that a teenager’s brain isn’t fully developed, why teenagers take more risks due to the temptations and peer pressure. In addition, why violence becomes an issue for teens starting when they’re young. When it comes to the teenage brain it’s obvious that they aren’t fully developed. According to Frances Jensen â€Å"a mother, author and neurologist† (83), a teenager is missing the frontal and prefrontal lobes of the brain in which adults possess. â€Å"The frontal lobes are the seat of what’s sometimes called the brains executive function and is responsible for planning, for self-awareness, and for judgement† (84). Being that a teenager lacks planning, self-awareness and judgement due to a missing brain function, they are subject to not thinking and being aware of circumstances in a difficult situation. For example, Kolbert states that her adolescent sons participate in a â€Å"fun pastime known as a ‘case race’† (83). A case race is when â€Å"participants form two