“A few researchers began to view recent brain and genetic findings in a brighter, more flattering light, one distinctly colored by evolutionary theory. The resulting account of the adolescent brain—call it the adaptive-adolescent story—casts the teen less as a rough draft than as an exquisitely sensitive, highly adaptable creature wired almost perfectly for the job of moving from the safety of home into the complicated world outside”(Dobbs 2011).

Framing teenage rebellion as a well-adapted behavior for a “creature wired perfectly for the job of moving from the safety of home” to face the world is an idea that I really like.

I really like this idea because it gives an obvious and Occam’s Razor-esque purpose to behaviors that seemed inexplicable when reasoned about from a different perspective. I always grew up with the idea the teenagers were cranky and unforthcoming because of hormones and brain development etc etc. It was some strange side-effect of being that age or being in environments containing other teens that should just be waited out. In actuality, teens are expressing their readiness to be independent human beings by acting out, taking calculated risks, and hopefully dealing with the consequences. Maybe we shouldn’t discourage that behavior. We should support teens through this phase by giving them the space that nature is telling us that they need.