The Biological, Social And Cognitive Changes - 1417 Words

My adolescent years were not always easy, and proved to be a complicated learning process filled with lots of failures. This is a time when the brain is changing, as well as the hormones inside our bodies, which can reflect how we behave on the outside. At the time this was not so noticeable for me, but as I look back, I can see how the biological, social and cognitive changes I was undergoing really had an effect on me. I began to think differently, my behavior changed and I started to change physically, some of these were for the better, and some were not so appreciated. Our cognitions are a big part of what it means to be human, and the changes that we undergo regarding them in our adolescence can be stressful. As we learned in class,†¦show more content†¦Another aspect of being and becoming a teenager is the development of risk-taking behavior. This I can attest to personally, as the memories I have of my teenage years are among the most thrilling that I have. I used to sneak out of my house at night to meet up with friends, and to engage in some forbidden â€Å"urban exploring.† At the time it did not occur to me that what I was doing was dangerous and I did not understand why others, usually older acquaintances, made such a big deal of it when they found out. This desire for risk-taking and reward seeking can be explained by the social neuroscience theory as a reaction to the changes that are happening in the brain (Lawford, Jan 13), one of these changes are the ones that are occurring in the dopaminergic system. Most of my risky behavior was when I was with others, even if were just small things like who would cross the busy street without waiting for the green light. When we are teenagers, as discussed in class, our peers play a large role in our decision to engage in risk-taking because they can contribute to activating the reward process in our brains (Lawford, Jan 13). Which would explain the desire that I had when I was younger to do more daring things when I was with friends, instead of alone. Biological transitions, like puberty, are also an essential part of adolescence, some having