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

David Walsh (Author), Nat Bennett (Contributor)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 24, 2005
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.


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WHY Do They Act That Way?: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen + Staying Connected To Your Teenager: How To Keep Them Talking To You And How To Hear What They're Really Saying + Getting to Calm: Cool-Headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens + Teens
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A powerful, practical book on the teenage brain. Walsh is a storyteller with the gifts of simplicity and clarity. This book is an easy read, but its message is fresh, nuanced, and important. I recommend it to all parents who ask themselves, 'Why do they act this way?'"

-- Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of Reviving Ophelia



"You'll finish it feeling as if you've just had coffee with someone who is not only entertaining and enlightening but who knows exactly how it feels to be the mom or dad of a twenty-first-century teen."

-- Cheryl Dellasega, Ph.D., author of Surviving Ophelia



"Parents will find the book immensely informative,reassuring, and useful. I highly recommend it!"

-- Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of Driven to Distraction and The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness



Gail Saltz, M.D. Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, The New York Presbyterian Hospital; Today Show Mental Health Contributor; author of Becoming Real Dave Walsh's weaving together of current understanding of the teenage brain with years of clinical experience with teens has produced a thoughtful, practical, and down-to-earth guide that enables parents to understand and deal well with their teenagers. If you are struggling with your adolescent, or even anticipating your child's entrance into those crazy years, this book will show you how to help both you and your teen have the healthiest, sanest passage.

From the Inside Flap

"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. Usually when I study the brain, my eyes cross and I fall asleep, but Walsh is a storyteller with the gifts of simplicity and clarity. This book is an easy read, but its message is fresh, nuanced, and important. I recommend it to all parents who ask themselves, 'Why do they act this way?'"
--Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author, Reviving Ophelia

"Teenagers...those baffling and scary creatures your adorable kids turned into, leaving you puzzled and angry all the time. Dave Walsh's weaving together of current understanding of the teenage brain with years of clinical experience with teens has produced a thoughtful, practical and down-to-earth guide that enables parents to understand and deal well with their teenager. If you are struggling with your adolescent, or even anticipating your child's entrance into those crazy years, this book will show you why it all makes sense and how to help both you and your teen have the healthiest, sanest passage."
--Gail Saltz, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, The New York Presbyterian Hospital; Today Show Mental Health Contributor; Author of Becoming Real

"Why Do They Act That Way is a comprehensive guide to the biology behind just about every adolescent behavior a parent or teacher might encounter. Drawing from his extensive clinical experience, Dr. Walsh walks the reader through many situations he has helped resolve through an understanding of how teen brains grow and develop. His gentle humor and friendly exploration of some personal parenting mishaps make this a highly readable and helpful book. You'll finish it feeling as if you've just had coffee with someone who is not only entertaining and enlightening but who knows exactly how it feels to be the mom or dad of a twenty first century teen."
--Cheryl Dellasega, Ph.D., Author of Surviving Ophelia, GirlWars (with Charisse Nixon), and Stung! Adult Women Who Are Queen Bees, Middle Bees, and Afraid-to-Bees

"Why Do They Act That Way? actually answers the question, at least as best as it can be answered. This superb book combines science, psychology, and direct experience with adolescents to create a warm-hearted, intelligent, and practical guide. Parents will find the book immensely informative, reassuring, and useful. I highly recommend it!"
--Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of Driven to Distraction, The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness, and Dare to Forgive

"The adolescent brain is NOT an oxymoron! Parents and teachers need to understand its critical developmental needs, and Dr. Walsh's clear, scientific, and humane counsel is just the ticket. I especially like his real-life stories and the chapter on helping kids manage the media."
--Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., Educational Psychologist and author of Your Child's Growing Mind and Failure to Connect --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Free Press (May 24, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0743260775
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743260770
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Walsh, Ph.D. is an award-winning psychologist and in-demand international speaker. He is one of the world's most trusted authorities on children, teens, parenting, family life, the impact of technology, and translating brain science for everyday practice.  He founded the renowned National Institute on Media and the Family, which he led till 2009. In 2010 he launched "Mind Positive Parenting." Dr. Walsh is on the faculty of the University of Minnesota, is a senior advisor at Search Institute and has published many articles in the professional and general press. Dr. Walsh is the author of nine books, including two national best sellers. His books have been translated into eight languages. Dr. Walsh presents to parents, educators, and professional audiences throughout the world. His workshops blend humor, warmth, scientific substance, and practical advice. He and his wife Monica live in Minneapolis and have three adult children and two grand children.


 

Customer Reviews

31 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You Dr. Walsh, July 19, 2004
By 
Robert J. Donnelly (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended for Parents of Adolescents, May 1, 2005
By 
S. Peek (Rocky Mountains, USA) - See all my reviews
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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 issue for millennia: "Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers". This is attributed to none other than Socrates in the fifth century, B.C.

Walsh clearly defines adolescence: "it begins at puberty and ends ... sometime".

Interwoven with the scientific information and helpful tips, he relates some stories, funny and otherwise, that most parents of those in this age group will be able to understand. One that I found particularly humorous related to ultra cold weather and adolescent dressing habits. This can be found on page 214.

I recommend this book.


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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, August 30, 2004
By 
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.
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Probably the best way to describe adolescence is to say that it begins at puberty and ends . . . sometime. Read the first page
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they act that way, adolescent brain, teen brain, willful denial, mother eagle
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Parent Survival Kit, United States, Phineas Gage, South Dakota, Digital Revolution
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