"Dr. Walsh is a teacher, scientist, therapist, and parent and all of these roles enable him to deliver a powerful, practical book on the teenage brain…I recommend it to all parents who ask themselves, 'Why do they act this way?'" --Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of Reviving Ophelia

Since the days of Aristotle, adults have been perplexed by adolescents. But today, boys and girls as young as ten can suddenly morph into rude, unreasonable, angry, defiant, sullen, reckless, and completely unfathomable creatures. For biological and social reasons, this turbulent time of development now lasts longer than it did just a generation ago. What's more, it seems to keep getting tougher and scarier for parents, teachers, and the teens struggling to live through it.

Nationally renowned psychologist David Walsh, Ph.D., knows the real instigator of adolescent angst and havoc-not hormones, not peer pressure. In WHY DO THEY ACT THAT WAY?: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen (Free Press; August 10, 2004; $23.00), he reveals precisely what is going on inside a typical teenager's head. Based on recent breakthrough research, Dr. Walsh shows how the adolescent brain is a work in progress, still growing, even without changing in size or shape, in complex and critical ways.

"Thanks to the latest discoveries in neuroscience, we can explain adolescence better than ever before," Dr. Walsh attests. "Seemingly unrelated behaviors, like sleeping late, acting territorial, bursting into tears for no reason, and taking risks, make much more sense when you know what's happening inside the adolescent brain," he assures confounded and concerned adults. "Better yet, this new understanding can help us see how to be more helpful to the teens in our lives."

To make sense of adolescent irrationality, WHY DO THEY ACT THAT WAY? presents a guided tour of the brain, focusing on five pillars of development. In accessible, engaging language, Dr. Walsh explains complex brain processes linked to a teen's lack of impulse control, emotional volatility, problems with communication, and oversexed hormones. Throughout, he sheds fresh, arresting light on why teens are wired to be impetuous, moody, and often impossible to understand or deal with. Yet, he also makes clear that parents and teens can work together to control and change even the worst insolent, violent, and self-destructive behaviors.

Drawing on his thirty-plus years of connecting with teens as a teacher, coach, counselor, and father of three, Dr. Walsh demonstrates how to confidently navigate the daily unpredictability. He gives parents specific strategies, complemented by ongoing reality checklists, for everything from establishing standards of acceptable behavior and enforcing consequences for failing to meet them to really listening to their teens. Throughout, he shares inspiring stories of families who survived adolescent atrocities-including alcohol abuse, physical altercations, and serious crimes-along with many tales of recovering alienated teens.

Filled with revelations and reassuring insights, WHY DO THEY ACT THAT WAY? features:

• New findings on how the adolescent brain interprets emotional expressions differently from an adult's brain, with communication tips to help parents close the gap.
• A look at the physical and developmental differences between male and female brains, and how they affect achievement, aggression, and sexual identity.
• Hard facts about the toll of alcohol, nicotine, and drugs to the vulnerable teenage brain, with particular attention to the long-term negative effects on learning and memory.

Dr. Walsh also delves into the developing brain's role in teenage romance and unsafe sex; the truth about the media and adolescent aggression; the story behind tired teens…and much more. For every adult who cares about teens, even at their most exasperating, WHY DO THEY ACT THAT WAY? is an indispensable guide.