Laurence Steinberg: Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence

Excerpt

In Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence, Lawrence Steinberg, a leading adolescent development scholar, argues that adolescence is not only a time of risk but also a time of immense opportunity for young people to develop into successful adults. To do so, the book first discusses scientific discoveries and explanations for adolescent brain development, which are then later used to support the effects and potential of adolescence and why it is such a critical period. He explains concepts or factors when combined can be used to depict the importance of adolescence and support his argument for change. Steinberg successfully uses scientific data to back up his transformed view of adolescence and argue its significance and changes in approaches that should be made. He addresses a wide variety of issues and their probable causes as well as areas in which society can better excel in raising its children. In the last few chapters and conclusion, Steinberg gives recommendations for parents, schools, employers and policy makers in the form of broad goals and specific ways of achieving them. In the introduction of the book, Steinberg argues that there are conflicting ideas of adolescence and that parents, teachers, and the legal system need to take a different perspective on adolescence. The purpose of his book then is to demonstrate how adolescence should be viewed differently than it is today, how to do this and what positive results can come of it. Age of Opportunity is a well-written work that includes innovative theories supported by scientific explanations. Its goal is to change the way we view adolescents and it seems to do just that, at least it calls our attention to the issues of the current view. …