WHY Do They Act That Way?: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen

In this national bestseller, acclaimed, award-winning psychologist Dr. David Walsh explains exactly what happens to the human brain on the path from childhood into adolescence and adulthood. Revealing the latest scientific findings in easy-to-understand terms, Dr. Walsh shows why moodiness, quickness to anger and to take risks, miscommunication, fatigue, territoriality, and other familiar teenage behavior problems are so common -- all are linked to physical changes and growth in the adolescent brain.

Why Do They Act That Way? is the first book to explain the changes in teens' brains and show parents how to use this information to understand, communicate with, and stay connected to their kids. Through real-life stories, Dr. Walsh makes sense of teenagers' many mystifying, annoying, and even outright dangerous behavioral difficulties and provides realistic solutions for dealing with everyday as well as severe challenges. Dr. Walsh's techniques include, among others: sample dialogues that help teens and parents talk civilly and constructively with each other, behavioral contracts, and Parental Survival Kits that provide practical advice for dealing with issues like curfews, disrespectful language and actions, and bullying. With this arsenal of strategies, parents can help their kids learn to control impulses, manage erratic behavior, cope with their changing bodies, and, in effect, develop a second brain.

Customer Reviews:

Thank You Dr. Walsh

By Robert J. Donnelly - July 19, 2004

I have been reading about child and adolescent development since my graduate school days. Later, when my children were born I was also a voracious reader of all the major writers on child and adolescent development. How I wish I had this book when my kids were in junior and senior high school!
Dr. Walsh has absolutely nailed adolescence. Amazing. He has taken an enormous amount of scholarly research and delivered it to us in readable and useable form. He clearly loves what he does and his passion for kids shines through in every chapter. It is a joy to read such a powerful combination of scholarship and common sense.
Someday I would love to meet this man. I am sure I would learn a lot. I recommend this book without reservation to every parent and teen out there who wants to understand these years.

Highly Recommended for Parents of Adolescents

By S. Peek - May 1, 2005

This will likely benefit anyone who is a parent of an adolescent. I think that it would also be helpful to adolescents themselves (if they would read it) in understanding some of their own behavior.

Walsh provides a lot of information on the latest research in brain development from adolescence to adulthood and its effects on attitudes, behavior, etc. He also discusses hormonal changes as well as cultural and other influences that are helpful in understanding the teen years.

Along with the scientific research he provides, Dr. Walsh also compares parenting styles, discusses activities for kids that can help in the short and long term, and provides realistic ideas for parenting during these tumultuous years. One of his particularly good suggestions is behavioral contracts. He provides a couple of specific examples of these, which are quite good.

One great quote that he has to start off chapter one makes it clear that surviving adolescence has been an... read more

Great Book!

By A. Burck - August 30, 2004

What's most remarkable about this book is how easy and fun it is to read. There are lots of stories sprinkled in with the scientific information, and Walsh's friendly, engaging voice comes across on every page. I wish I'd had this book when I was a teenager. It would have been nice to know that pains and dramas that afflicted me were the part of the process of literally growing into my adult brain. I know this book is intended for parents, but I think there are a lot of kids out there who would find it a good read too.

AVAILABILITY
Merchant	Format	Price
Amazon US	Paperback	$0.01 - $15.00
eBooks.com	Digital (PDF)	$10.93
BookByte	Paperback	$10.46
eCampus	Paperback	~~$9.45~~ discount!