ABSTRACT
Brain development changes often cause adolescents to vacillate from being highly competent with some skills to being unable to exert control over any such abilities. The notion that adolescents are able to express increasing competencies, strengths, and capabilities as they grow also has led to a more optimistic view of this age period rather than one of just storm and stress. One area that can be problematic for teens is finding a social group that supports and encourages their development. Because of the varied trajectory of individual development, high school usually involves making a new group of friends. Because of the late-developing brain areas related to social cognition, adolescence is the prime age period in which social rejection or exclusion can be extremely painful and difficult to endure. Effects of peer pressure may be subtle or extreme during this age period and, even if subtle, may affect brain development.
