There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it.
Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.
~Logan Pearsall Smith

The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others. ~ Solomon Ibn Gabriol

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. " ~ Leonard da Vinci

“It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.” ~ Seneca

Surprising Results In Teen Study: Adolescent Risky Behavior May Signal Mature Brain

ScienceDaily (Aug. 26, 2009) — A long-standing theory of adolescent behavior has assumed that this delayed brain maturation is the cause of impulsive and dangerous decisions in adolescence. The new study, using a new form of brain imaging, calls into question this theory.

A new study using brain imaging to study teen behavior indicates that adolescents who engage in dangerous activities have frontal white matter tracts that are more adult in form than their more conservative peers.

The brain goes through a course of maturation during adolescence and does not reach its adult form until the mid-twenties. A long-standing theory of adolescent behavior has assumed that this delayed brain maturation is the cause of impulsive and dangerous decisions in adolescence. The new study, using a new form of brain imaging, calls into question this theory.

In order to better understand the relationship between high risk-taking and the brain's development, Emory University and Emory School of Medicine neuroscientists used a form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to measure structural changes in white matter in the brain. The study's findings are published in the Aug. 26, 2009 PLoS One.

"In the past, studies have focused on the pattern of gray matter density from childhood to early adulthood, says Gregory Berns, MD, PhD, principal investigator and professor of Psychiatry and Neuroeconomics at Emory University and director of the Center for Neuropolicy. "With new technology, we were able to develop the first study looking at how development of white matter relates to activities in the real world."

Gray matter is the part of the brain made up of neurons, while white matter connects neurons to each other. As the brain matures, white matter becomes denser and more organized. Gray matter and white matter follow different trajectories. Both are important for understanding brain function.

The study enrolled 91adolescents ages 12 through 18 over a three-year period. Levels of engagement in dangerous behaviors were measured by a survey that included questions about the teens' thrill seeking behaviors, reckless behaviors, rebellious behaviors and antisocial behaviors. DTI was used to measure corresponding structural changes in white matter.

"We were surprised to discover that risk-taking was associated with more highly-developed white matter – a more mature brain," says Berns. "We were also surprised to learn that except for slightly higher scores in risk-taking, there was no significant difference in the maturity of the white matter between males and females."

Berns suggests that doing adult-like activities requires sophisticated skills.

"Society is a lot different now than it was 100 years ago when teens were expected to go to work and raise a family," says Berns. "Now, adolescents aren't expected to act like adults until they are in their twenties, when they have finished their education and found a career.

"You could make the case that in this country, biological capacity shows up long before the wisdom that comes with time is fully developed," notes Berns.

Berns says more studies need to be done to determine if early brain development predisposes someone to engage in risky behaviors, or if the risky behavior drives the maturation of the brain.

The CDC reports that, 27,000 people between the ages of 10 and 24 die from bad decisions in the United States per year. Additionally, it has been shown that the period of mid-adolescence (ages 15 through 19) is the time when teens are more likely to begin high-risk behaviors such as drinking, abusing drugs or driving recklessly.

Other researchers who contributed to this study include, Sara Moore, BS, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine and C. Monica Capra, PhD, the Department of Economics and the Center for Neuropolicy, Emory University.

This study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Use Condom!!

Facing The Giants

Signs of an Abusive Relationship in Teens

What Parents and Teenagers Should Look for in Warning Signs

Mar 27, 2010 Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch

One in three teenagers experience an abusive relationship, according to the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Abuse does not discriminate by age – teenagers are also at risk for abusive relationships. The American Psychological Association (APA) states that 10 to 25 percent of girls between 15 and 24 years old are victims of rape or attempted rape. Both girls and boys can be victims of relationship violence, and both genders can experience emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

Why Does the Violence Occur?

The Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ACADV) notes that relationship violence in teenagers can be due to harmful stereotypes. Some young men see that they have a right to control their partners, and can demand intimacy. In addition, some young women see the possessiveness from their partners as romantic and the abuse is normal, especially if their friends are also being abused. The APA adds that young men may feel that they have to act tough, and that young women may feel that they have to put up with these behaviors.

Warning Signs of an Abusive Relationship

Signs of abuse can start early in a relationship, though it can be hard for the victim to see them. The abusers will cycle between abusive behaviors and kind gestures to keep their victims under their control. The ACADV notes that warning signs of an abusive relationship include extreme jealousy and controlling behaviors. For example, the abuser will try to keep his victim away from family and friends, becoming upset when she wants to spend time with someone other than her partner.

Another early warning sign of an abusive relationship is a partner that believes in rigid sex roles. This means that the abuser holds the belief that the woman must obey the man, no matter what he asks from her, and that the man has the right to control her and use force. He will assert this belief to justify his actions. The abuser may also have explosive anger or use force during an argument.

The APA adds that the abuser may tease his victim, but the teasing can include insults. The abuser may also use emotional blackmail to get sex, such as using lines like “if you love me, you would have sex for me.” The emotional blackmail can be a powerful tool to push the victim into acts that she is not comfortable with, such as having sex without protection. In addition, the abuser may expect his partner to be available at all times, and can become upset with her when she is busy.

As the abuse continues, parents may notice drastic changes in their child, such as physical signs of injury and changes in mood or personality. The victim may also turn substance abuse and have problems in school. If the victim of the abusive relationship is female, she may become pregnant.

The Personal Fable of Adolescents

Understanding the Fantasy Construct Common to Youth

Apr 21, 2009 Reece Manley

One of the developmental phenomenon widely observed in youth is the personal fable. This concept holds that adolescents believe themselves to be special and unique.

dolescents often behave as if they are immortal, taking wild risks and placing themselves in dangerous situations without pause. They may also seem to be beyond solace in even commonly experienced situations believing no one has ever faced their pain before.

The Concept of the Personal Fable and Its Challenges

This behavior may have roots in a concept known as the personal fable first proposed by David Elkind is a special kind of egocentric thinking specifically observed in the teenage years.

The personal fable leads teens to have feelings including:

• All experiences are unique, nothing happens to anyone else like does to me.
• My experiences are special, no one can understand what I go through.
• My feelings are unique, no one has ever felt as I do.
• Nothing bad will happen to me, accidents only happen to others.

Three special challenges arise from teens lost in the personal fable. First, they may be more apt to engage in high risk behaviors. Because teenagers tend to think of themselves as unique and above the reaches of common everyday accidents, they may place themselves in dangerous situations.

Teenagers may also be more likely to engage in experimental use of drugs and alcohol. Because teens may feel they are unlikely to suffer negative experiences, they may be more likely to drink or use. Add the novelty appeal of the first time experience of the effects of alcohol or drugs, parents face a double challenge in this area.

Also, teenagers may have difficulty believing expressed empathy from others. When a parent says, "I know exactly how you feel", the teenager, lost in the personal fable, will respond, "You are wrong, no one has ever been as sad as I have."

Overcoming the Fable

Parents can help teens become more grounded in reality and more likely to move beyond the personal fable by helping them make real world connections to actions and consequences.

An important tool is to use peers in making connections for the teenager. Because social factors strongly influence teen behavior, their peers make a strong reference group. Even the most self-centered teenager generally has friends. These friends have certain bonds with the teen.

Parents can attempt to bridge the gap between reality and personal fable thinking by using experiences of peers. This is especially helpful if the peer relates the consequences of certain actions directly to the teen.

Parents may also have an effect in slowly breaking down the egocentric teenager by making sure to use "I" language when approaching the teen. Making statements beginning with "I feel" or "I think" set up the claim of the belief as being the parents.

Rather than missing the mark completely by using phrases "You should think" or "You should feel", using I language differentiates between who the feelings belong to. If parents claim the feelings as theirs, they are not deflected by teens' beliefs that only they can understand their feelings.

Parents will also be will served by making contracts for behavior with teens who seem to be living under the personal fable. If the teen has made a commitment to behave a certain way and has agreed to the consequences, there is little room for argument when the need for discipline arises.

Parents can also help the teen practice empathy. By encouraging teenagers to take the perspective of others, the parent opens the idea of the teenager's own problems being understood by somebody else. Parents should look for opportunities to ask the teen how he thinks a group feels. Current news events are a good example. As the teenager explores the idea of perspective taking, parents should encourage by agreeing with appropriate insights of the teen.

The personal fable concept is a step in the adolescent's development. It serves to allow teens to have a sense of control and make sense of their world. However, it can prove to be a liability in several areas, including risk taking behavior and emotional empathy. Parents can have a positive effect in connecting their teens with reality through using social influence and specific behavioral techniques.

Effects of Music on Children and Adolescents

Sep 22, 2010 Tasha Kelley

The effects of music on children and adolescents are examined. Evidence will point to music having both positive and harmful influences.

The sound of music envelopes society wherever individuals go. Music is played on the radio, in cars, on the elevator, on television and in our homes. We play music at parties as a source of entertainment, sing to our babies as a mode of relaxation and even rap lyrics as a mode of expression.

There are many forms of music – classical, rock, rhythm and blues and hip hop – just to name a few. It has become such a large part of our lives and the effects of music have been studied for many years. Music's impact on children and adolescents is examined. Evidence will point to music having both positive and harmful influences on the minds of children.\

Positive Effects of Music

There exists a prevalent notion that music can improve a child’s intelligence. Researchers have studied this and utilized the term the “Mozart effect” which states that there is an “…increase in brain development that occurs in children under age 3 when they listen to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.” (Carroll, 1)

Many parents believe that music, specifically classical music, increases the intelligence level of children. There are such toys called Baby Bach, Baby Beethoven and Baby Mozart – musical CDs that parents play to their babies and toddlers to help enhance their intellectual development.

Studies have also stated that music helps strengthen spatial reasoning and sensory motor skills. (Rauscher, Shaw, et.al) “Musical training facilitates cognitive skills, including reading, abstract spatial abilities and creativity.” (Riggs, 3) Children enjoy dancing when music is played or playing instruments while moving to the beat. This enables children to use their senses and motor skills simultaneously, which further develops gross motor coordination.

Music can also soothe the child's psyche. When a child is feeling anxious, depressed or stressed out, counselors and psychologists have suggested to parents to play soft music to their children to help decrease their anxiety level. Music has a calming effect on an individual’s emotions and helps children relax and refocus. “Music has been shown to reduce heart rate, breathing, and stress hormones in stressful situations.” (Musical Beginnings, 1)

Negative Effects of Music

Certain types of music or more specifically, violent lyrics, are believed to have a negative impact on adolescents. Studies have shown that the violent lyrics in rock music have contributed to youth violence. Eighteen-year-old Phillip Morton hung himself while listening to songs “Goodbye Cruel World" and "Waiting for the Worms," from Pink Floyd play in the background. (Watkins, 4) With the high strung guitar, vibrating drums and destructive themes playing, rock music can increase the mood of the individual listening to it and promote anti-social behaviors.

In terms of hip-hop music, sexually explicit lyrics and mounds of profanity exuberate through certain hip-hop songs. This can have a negative impact on the thoughts and feelings of adolescents. Some theorize that listening to it for long periods of time or in solitude by placing headphones on, this music can further damage the psyche of these young, impressionable minds further desensitizing their attitude towards sex.

As one doctor stated, parents “… cannot stop the onslaught of sexual images from music but that they must prepare their teenagers with a healthy self-esteem to have the tools to “resist and even rise above the sexual stereotyping and degradation.”” (Larkin, 3) In order to overcome these negative influences, parents must police the music their young ones listen to.

Overall music, albeit melodious in tune, can have both positive and harmful effects on children and adolescents. As parents, we must assist in their growing personal development by monitoring the music that our children listen to.

Sources:

Carroll, Robert. Mozart Effect. The Skeptics Dictionary. (Accessed 9/22/2010).

Larkin, Michelle. Music Sells Sex to Teenagers. NeoVox Australia. (Accessed 9/22/2010).

Musical Beginnings. “Benefits of Music Education”. 2006. (Accessed 9/22/2010).

Rauscher, F.H., Shaw, G L., Levine, L.J., Ky, K.N., and E. L. Wright. Music and Spatial-Temporal Relationships. Life Sounds. (Accessed 9/22/2010).

Riggs, Denie. The Benefits of Teaching Music to Young Children. Early Childhood Music. Spring 1998. (Accessed 9/22/200).

Watkins, Terry. It’s Only Rock and Roll…But it Kills. (Accessed 9/22/2010).

Read more at Suite101: Effects of Music on Children and Adolescents http://www.suite101.com/content/effects-of-music-on-children-and-adolescents-a289018#ixzz14yCrrOyJ

Adolescent Peer Pressure - Wanting to Fit In

By Yvonne Clark

Peer pressure is not isolated to one age group, everyone needs to belong or feel connected to his or her own age group. Kids and adults are partnered to peer pressure. Teens like adults are influenced by their peer group. This is normal behavior and is modeled for teenagers by the adults around them. As adults, we are familiar with the expression "keeping up with the Jones'," a sense of wanting to fit in. Adults conform to the social standards set by their peers and teenagers are very carefully watching the adults that influence his or her life.

Teen peer pressure -is more than just a phase that young people go through. Whether it leads to extreme hair and clothing, tattoos, or body piercing, peer pressure is a powerful reality and many adults do not realize its effects. It can be a negative force in the lives of children and adolescents, often resulting in their experimenting with tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs.

Teenagers want to be with people their own age. Children, especially during adolescence, begin to spend a lot more time with their friends, and less time with their family. This makes them more susceptible to the influences of their peers. It is important to remember that teenage friends can have a positive influence on a youth. During teenage years, young people are more accepting of their peers feelings and thoughts. Peers can and do act as positive role models.

Parents, teachers, and other adults should encourage teenagers to find friends that have similar interests and views as you a parent, educator, religious and community leader are trying to develop in the teen. The critical adult views including doing well in school, having respect for others, avoiding drug use, smoking, drinking and other risky behaviors.

During adolescence, young people put into practice risk-taking behaviors as they are trying to find their own identity and become more independent. This makes them very vulnerable to experimenting or becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol, sexual activity, and defiance of authority, especially if there is peer pressure to do so. Adolescents who use drugs are also more likely to become involved in gang activity, have low self-esteem, behavior problems, school performance problems, and depression.

Parents, teachers, religious and community leaders want to promote positive peer pressure among teens. Parents and other adults often believe that teenagers do not value their opinions. In reality, studies suggest that parents have tremendous influence over their children, especially teenagers. No matter the age of their children, parents, caregivers and other adult role models should never feel helpless about countering the negative effects of peer pressure.

Here are some suggestions what parents and other adults can do:

o Establish and maintain good communications
o Nurture strong self-esteem
o Avoid criticism that takes the form of ridicule or shame
o Monitor your teens activities
o Role-play peer pressure situations
o Talk openly and honestly about stealing, alcohol, illegal drugs, and sex
o Avoid attacking the teen's friends- criticizing a teenagers choice of friend can be perceived by a teen as a personal attack.
o Be an involved parent
o Ask questions and enjoy listening to teenagers as he or she talks
o Get teenagers involved in youth groups, community activities and peer monitoring programs
o Help the teen understand the difference between image (expressions of youth culture) and identity (who he or she is)

Peer pressure during childhood and adolescence equips young people to develop healthy friendships, self-identity, self-esteem, and self-reliance. It is healthy for everyone to talk about how they feel what they need, desire and want. Parents mistakenly assume that their teen does not want to talk to them, but it may just be that the teenager does not want to talk about his or her bad grades, their bad behavior and how much trouble they are in. Usually teenagers are more willing to talk about something they are interested in or something positive that is about them.
Develop a habit of talking with your teen everyday. Building a strong close open relationship with him or her while they are young will make it easier for your teen to discuss problems, concerns and other sensitive issues associated with school, relationships, and other life stressors.

Beyond Facebook: the Benefits of Deeper Friendships

Constantly connected via Facebook and Twitter, you may feel like you have a lot of friends. But will they be your go-to friends in a crisis?

Friendships improve physical and psychological health, and much is lost by letting them wither, research shows. Yet many people are too busy to make time for their friends. We ask women in New York how they do it.

Overwhelmed by home, family and work obligations, many people find it difficult to make and maintain deep friendships. Yet these connections are the kind that best support health and happiness.

When one of her high-school friends was laid off, Lauren Thormeier of Dublin, Ohio, took time out of her workday as a clinical therapist and left housework undone to listen to her friend air her worries and to brainstorm solutions. "You just say to yourself, the dishes can wait, the laundry can wait. Your friend needs you." In turn, Ms. Thormeier says, she knows she could call her friend "in the middle of the night" in a crisis.

Friendships of any kind can bear health benefits. The most satisfied, contented mothers are the ones who spend the most time each week connecting with friends, according to a survey of 2,000 mothers by CafeMom, a website for mothers. Social and emotional support is linked in numerous studies to better health and lower rates of disability, depression and anxiety.

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Eli Meir Kaplan for The Wall Street Journal

Janet Schiavone, Nikki George, Joan Confoy and Donna Lee, left to right, have a group called 'Girl Talk.'

But the deepest friendships confer the greatest benefits. A sense of being loved, cared for and listened to fosters a sense of meaning and purpose and reduces stress-induced wear and tear on the body, lowering the heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones, according to research published last month in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Supportive friendships also are linked in research to increased longevity and may actually change the way you experience stressful events, buffering the negative mental effects.

Friends have a measurable impact in reducing depression after life turning points, research shows. New parents who were more satisfied with their friendships reported lower rates of depression after childbirth, says a study of 137 couples published in 2002 in the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Such friendships seem to hold more health benefits for woman than men. Among men and women who had experienced emotional abuse or neglect in childhood, according to a study published last year in the journal Depression and Anxiety, women who had supportive friends faced a significantly better chance of fighting off depression in adulthood—but not men.

While the reasons aren't completely clear, other research shows men place less emphasis than women on the depth of their ties with friends and more emphasis on how often they see them or how long they have known them. Women, on the other hand, tend to have more intimate bonds with their friends, and they stress the emotional qualities of their relationships.

While the Girl Talk members have plenty of differences that might divide them—the women are both at-home and working mothers, Republicans and Democrats, and their religious backgrounds differ—"we're beyond labels," Ms. Schiavone says. "We're friends—and that has been our saving grace."

By Sue Shellenbarger at sue.shellenbarger@wsj.com

Full articles available at : Wall Street Journal Online

A baby monkey that lost his mother.

Although this has nothing to do with Adolescence Development, but it's a very nice video about a baby monkey that lost his mom at 3 months old. 

It's more related to infancy development, when the baby is building trust and mistrust with the female monkey, in needs to satisfy his physiological needs and safety needs.

As today lecture we learn social support, I think when you lost your family support, social support comes into the picture and often turns out be the very important element in our lives.

If without the female monkey that took care of the baby video in the end of the video, what will the baby monkey become?

And with the care and protection from the female monkey, will it bring any changes onto the baby monkey?

Watch by clicking the link below.

Baby monkey that lost its' mother

Counting your blessing: being thankful and grateful does help you feel NTV7

By Khor Gui Wei (Nathan)

Be grateful 感恩- The Honorable Zheng Yan, Founder of Charity Foundation Chi-tzu

Have you ever been throwing out your grievances to people around you about how boring your life is in Kampar? Weather is so hot la, parkings are so few la, lecture class, assignment exam SO MANY la (Tan, 2010). Arghh, you could not stand it.

But wait, have you ever tried to improve the situation?

Of course, you are not superman or wonderwoman. You can’t shot down the sun, build parking complex with one hand and topple down the management to overturn the system. But why don’t we start from simple thing, say yourself? Instead of trying hard to change the objective reality, I suggest we adjust our subjective inner state. Heard about Louis Armstrong before? Yes, he was the Jazz singer who sang “I feel good” whenever you switch your channel to NTV7. Here we will discuss about how to make yourself “feel good”.

If you ever had chance to go through those Holy Scriptures, you would find that most of the religions preach on one common theme- be grateful. Be it Christian, Islam or Buddhism. However, we are not going to discuss on religious basis. We shall see what researchers have found in their studies regarding gratitude, mostly done on adolescents.

Researchers discovered that people, who are grateful to things that happened around them, no matter big or small, tend to be more grateful, optimistic, satisfied with life condition and a decrease in negative affect (Froh, Yurkewicz, & Kashdan, 2009). Furthermore, one who is grateful tends to lend a helping hand to those in need. In other word, grateful people are more prosocial. Several researches also indicated grateful people tend to have better life appraisal and thus spend more time in exercising, resulting in better health (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). Besides than that, these people show higher levels of positive affect- proud, hopeful, inspired, forgiving, and excited (Froh, Yurkewicz, & Kashdan, 2009). Most importantly, grateful adolescents tend to report great satisfaction with their school experience (Froh, Sefick, & McCullough, 2008).

Perhaps after you read through the brief summary of the researches above, you would have doubted whether it could really be so powerful in improving your life, just by being grateful. So I shall say you could always try it yourself, no harm right? It won’t spend a single penny from your tight pocket, especially in this short semester.

If you would like to give it a try, here are few suggestions to end this sharing also :

1) Think back 5 things that you feel thankful for, big or small, everyday.

2) Say thank you to yourself, appreciating the efforts your SELF have put in. For instance, work hard in assignment, able to control your emotion and thus avoid interpersonal conflict.

3) Feel grateful to those who have helped you.

4) Feel grateful to what you have now ( opportunity of education, no famine, etc.)

5) And many many more ways waiting you to discover. = )

References

Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily lifes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 84 (2), 377-389.

Froh, J. J., Sefick, W. J., & McCullough, R. A. (2008). Counting blessings in adolescents: an experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology , 46, 213-233.

Froh, J. J., Yurkewicz, C., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Gratitude and gratitude well-being in early adolescence: examine gender differences. Journal of Adolescence , 32, 633-650.