Cheryl L. Sisk and Russell D. Romeo: Coming of Age: The Neurobiology and Psychobiology of Puberty and Adolescence New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2020, 202 pp, ISBN-13: 978-0195314373

Excerpt

The neurobiology and psychology of puberty and adolescence have been highly understudied in the past and the recent discoveries regarding the science behind puberty have allowed for different perspectives to arise. In the book, Coming of Age: The Neurobiology and Psychobiology of Puberty and Adolescence, Sisk and Romeo (2020) reject the cliche “raging hormones” phrase to describe teenage behavior and instead provide the perspective that reckless teen behavior is caused by the interaction of hormonal changes, brain maturation and the social changes they experience. They also provide the perspective that puberty and adolescence are two different things; “the brain initiates puberty” and “the adolescent brain is a target of both pubertal hormones and experiences from the changes that hormones cause in the body and the brain” (Sisk & Romeo, 2020, p. 1). Because this book focuses on the science behind puberty, the authors are recommending and assuming those reading understand basic psychology terminology. …