The world is constantly changing, and with it, psychological life-span development is ever-evolving. These days, individuals live well into their eighties and early nineties. People do not necessarily retire at 65 anymore, often remaining active in their careers well into their seventies. This is not to mention how individuals get married and start families later in their lives. In terms of adolescent development, many do not often enter into young adulthood until their mid-twenties, whether or not they go off to college.

Speaking specifically to the topic of adolescent development, I have found many teens going off to college and returning within the first semester or year of college. In most cases, though cognitively ready, they were not emotionally mature enough, able to regulate themselves, or deal with adversity. Similarly, individuals who do not leave for college may find their own setbacks entering into the adult world. This does not mean they are lazy or entitled, which unfortunately is the automatic assumption that some of us make.

I attended a conference a few years back where myself and others in the audience voiced questions concerning this phenomenon referred to as extended adolescence, and no, I do not mean “Peter Pan syndrome,” but a definitive extension of the entry into psychological adulthood.

The presenter, a neuroscientist, reminded us that the brain develops from the back to the front. In the days of the Boomers, Millennials, or older Gen X’ers, the lack of a bombardment of media and technological information resulted in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the brain reaching adult maturity between ages 18 and 21. Today’s brain, he explained, takes much longer to mature given the vast amount of information required to process and absorb. By this account, he explained that the brain does not necessarily reach maturity until the age of 25, give or take.

While outliers exist, it makes sense that this current cohort of adolescents enters adulthood with a neuropsychological burden. Stated differently, they may not be neurologically ready despite high levels of intellect or stated goals. Throw in a pandemic, and it creates quite the recipe for disaster.

In the case of college, I am not saying that adolescents should not apply/enroll after high school. What I am saying is that parents may need to be educated and encouraged to prepare the adolescent to deal with social, emotional, and adverse situations that they may otherwise have taken for granted. A psychologist, mentor, or life coach might prove key in this regard. Others opt for gap years, or community college as a means to facilitate preparation, self-regulation, and emotional maturity. Whatever the case, I think the common goal is to allow the necessary training that our adolescents need to succeed. This can prevent the self-esteem blow associated with failing out of college and potential anxiety or fear of ever returning.

Until next time, stay curious and keep growing. — Dr. Michael Pica