Page 31 - Biblical Counseling II

Physical Development: bodies change, become taller, stronger, and gain the ability to reproduce
Cognitive Development: As young teenagers become capable of thinking about their own thinking and of
thinking about other people’s thinking, they begin imagining what other people are thinking about them.
(metacognition)
Developing Reasoning Power: Reasoning is self-focused but moves to abstract reasoning.
Developing Morality: discerning right from wrong and developing character – the psychological muscles for
controlling impulses. Development of moral reasoning – the thinking that occurs when we consider right and
wrong.

During these teenage years, adolescences are wanting to try new things. Some are making impulsive
decisions, showing immaturity. Others are motivated to make wise decisions but struggle with organization
and memory. Think back to your peer group during your late teenage years. Have you ever wondered why
some friends were always making decisions that led to trouble? Nurture definitely plays a role in teenage
choices, but so does brain development. Look at the chart below and read about each part of the brain that is
developing during the teenage years. This chart explains some of the biology behind adolescent behavior
(Myers, 2009).

(photo from www.debate.org)

Prefrontal Cortex:
Psychologists explain that the prefrontal cortex “helps people set and achieve goals. It receives input from
multiple regions of the brain to process information and adapts accordingly. The prefrontal cortex
contributes to a wide variety of executive functions, including: focusing one’s attention, predicting the
consequences of one’s actions; anticipating events in the environment, impulse control, managing emotional
reactions, planning for the future, and coordinating and adjusting complex behaviors (‘I can’t do A until B
happens’)” (“Prefrontal Cortex, 2020).

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