Teen Dreams

Jon Lutz
Section 01

The three main biological structures influencing motivation oftentimes conflict, but their dynamic nature culminates into a victorious story for Darren and all of humanity. Teen Dreams plays out the corky extremes of our behavioral apparatus, using the pivotal time of puberty, when the contrast between motivation’s usefulness and its lagginess are at their greatest. The endocrine system pumps out testosterone and estrogen at exponential levels, leaving cortex growth and adaptation in the dust. Meanwhile the limbic system is forced to handle social and subcutaneous information previously considered unimportant. The inevitable falls, squeaks, and pimples are all unfortunate byproducts of a logical system, which in the long run pays off for the two adolescent protagonists.
Large spikes in Darren’s testosterone cause the majority of his anatomy to increase in size, most of which will help him through his life; reaching onto high shelves, socially posture in sexually attractive ways, lifting heavy boxes, or even escape predatory animals. The bug in Darren’s growth program is the lag between the dimensions of his appendages and the ability of his motor pathways to adapt and accommodate. Not only are they the least coordinated they’ve ever been, but sex hormones stimulating the hypothalamus create sexual desire like they probably never will feel again. They simply engage in risky behavior, having never been more ill equipped to perform in a appealing manner. In the film Darren air guitars wildly, auditions for the class play, and even gets in a fight. The stakes are high. Failing in at any juncture could result in massive social embarrassment. The gamble pays off when Darren wins the fight, in the presence of many of his peers as well as risking personal injury. Had not for the hormonal push toward the confrontation, it is possible that Darren’s motivational factors would have fallen short of the threshold, having never engaged in the violent behavior. If not for Natalie’s hormones, she would not have found Darren’s victory so appealing, affecting her final decision on whether or not to mate with Darren. We get a glance at Darren’s internal feels will he has his opponent pinned in defeat. He smiles, puffs his chest out, glancing around for validation from his peers, whom return social cues of acceptance.
The interesting aspect is in the specific avenue Darren eventually achieves what he desires, a big steamy kiss with the girl next door. It is in rehearsal and the final performance that Darren suffers large setbacks; falling down dancing and missing the high note. They were both very public and served as strong motives to slink away, falling short of his desired outcome. But he sticks with it anyway, why? Though his the majority of his brain is drowning in the white noise hormone bathe, his medial prefrontal cortex saves the day. There in the higher processing centers goals are conceptualized. Darren is able to override emmediate sensory compulsiotions to direct his energy in a way he knows will get him what he wants. Though evolution didn’t work out all the kinks, the dynamic interaction of the structures, hormones, and neurotransmitters(I did not mention these but play a vital role) gives anyone the best chance for success.

Terms:
Motivation
Limbic system
Endocrine system
Testosterone
Estrogen
Medial prefrontal cortex
Motive
Energy & Direction
Motor Pathways
Social Cues
Acceptance
Feelings
Hypothalamus
Goals

Teen Dreams follows the misadventures of maturing children Darren and Natalie in England as their bodies begin to develop. While mostly focusing on the biological aspects of our development, the episode does touch on how these physical changes can affect humans both psychologically and socially. Most important of all, at least for our purposes, the episode gives us a hint at how biology influences our motivation and our psychological experience of motivation. To properly punctuate this, I will be presenting the motivational topics in the order the narrative presented them. My primary focus will be on Darren’s biology, his motivations, and the goal his motivated action is geared towards (Natalie’s affections).

In Part 1, Darren is the perfect example of how the brain can be the center of motivational action. As our book points out, “The brain is not only a thinking brain, it is also the center of motivation and emotion” (Reeve, 49). Motivation, therefore, is roughly defined as the, “…processes that give behavior its energy and direction” (Reeve, 8). Darren’s journey into maturation begins with his pituitary gland (in the brain) releasing gonadotropins into his bloodstream. This is the start of a cycle of development that the brain initiates to give Darren the motivation to mate through the psychological experience of sex drive. The gonadotropins travel through the bloodstream until they reach the testes, where they trigger the organ to begin producing the male sex hormone, testosterone. The testosterone then begins to travel through the blood to begin the physical changes to Darren to make him physiologically ready for sex. However, Darren still lacks the motivation, the actual “want” for sex. To correct this, the testosterone returns to the brain through the bloodstream and begins to seep into the organ. It eventually activates Darren’s reproductive circuit, which is an interconnected network of neurons that make Darren experience a sex drive. This sex drive is the motivation, the “want,” for Darren to seek and attempt to win the favor of a potential mate.

Now fueled with a newly born sex drive, Darren’s behavior begins to receive the energy and direction from this sex drive. Smitten with his neighbor Natalie, his behavior is extremely energized and fully directed towards winning the affections of Natalie. The first given instance of this is around 13:30 in Part 1, where he waits for Natalie to leave her home to walk to school with her. Then begins the interference of David Blane.

David is the perfect example of an external event, or environmental motivator, in Darren’s life. David not only successfully acquires a date with Natalie upon their second meeting, but he also steals a kiss after acquiring the date. Darren, upon seeing this, hypes up his behavior a step further to better compete with the more developed and more attractive David. We know that he is feeling competitive because of the way he acts with the director. Darren strides into the auditorium and proudly stands before the once-intimidating director, demanding a role in the play. Upon getting into the abhorrent rap version of Romeo and Juliet that the school is putting on, the director reveals that Darren will be the Romeo to Natalie’s Juliet. Darren then attempts to use facial expression to simultaneously taunt David for his loss and to attract Natalie once more. This little victory also reinforces Darren’s behavior, as he bested David in parts for the play, demonstrating that while David may be taller and more developed currently, Darren still was able to best him.

His goal of wooing Natalie is not yet attained, as Natalie believes she is well beyond Darren in terms of maturation. She demonstrates this in her physical behavior upon learning of Darren’s success. Instead of congratulating or smiling at Darren, she storms out of the auditorium and immediately texts her friend Simone all her grievances.

However, Natalie is beginning to take notice of the developing Darren, and upon his clumsy tumble in dance rehearsal, she even offers him a hand to help him up. When before she would not even make eye contact and was disgusted at the very thought of acting alongside him, now she is offering him aid in his embarrassing moments. In lecture, Dr. MacLin brought up the concept of persistence, and how trying longer is more successful than trying better. This little act of empathy where Natalie helps Darren to his feet is the first sign that his persistence (IE: Walking to school with her; Joining an AWFUL musical for her; Etc.) in wooing her is succeeding. It also acts as an even stronger reinforcer for Darren, who realizes that his efforts are starting to garner feelings and supportive behavior from Natalie.

In the first rehearsal of the kissing scene, Darren receives his first avoidant behavior towards Natalie. Due to the stench created by the bacteria feasting off the sweat in her armpits, Darren is caught between his lasting affection and the temporary odor stimulus. It is distasteful to him, as displayed in his turning away from her and pausing before continuing to run lines and then merely gives her a peck on the cheek as opposed to the passionate kiss the director desires.

However, Darren’s persistence has finally paid off. He has invaded her dreams and stolen her thoughts away from the once competing David. She begins to ignore calls incoming from David, and she begins to text Simone about her thoughts towards Darren, which are becoming more and more positive. Finally, the ultimate display of Darren’s motivation to overtake David peaks in the mall fight scene. Being embarrassed once again by David in front of Natalie, Darren tackles and bests David in a fight. Darren sees this as his ultimate victory over David and turns to try and see the approval of Natalie, who leaves the scene in a hurry due to the oncoming of her first period.

In the final scene, with the official opening night of the musical, Darren finally achieves his goal. Natalie’s affections are finally won, and the final passionate kiss seals his achievement. Though the biological goal of mating has not been achieved, Darren’s overall goal of earning Natalie’s affection is complete. The original motivational state brought on by the activation of the pituitary gland and gonadotropins has, for now, been temporarily satiated in the development of a meaningful relationship and may later culminate in an actual mating ritual. Granted, I don’t believe that should be brought up in this instance, as both Natalie and Darren are much too young to think about doing anything of the sort.

Terms Used:
Goal – Lecture
Persistence – Lecture
Motivation – Pg. 8
Emotion – Pg. 9
External Event – Pg. 10
Behavior – Pg. 11
Avoidance Tendency – Pg. 17
Reinforcement – Pg. 65
Hormone – Pg. 67

Puberty is the key component that allows us to eventually be able to reproduce. Natalie has ovaries, and Darren has sperm. At a young age though, they are dormant until they are activated by puberty. Hormones act as chemical messengers, that trigger the process of puberty for Darren and Natalie. The pituitary gland, which is located in the hypothalamus is responsible for the production of these hormones. Females typically produce estrogen, and men produce testosterone. In Darren, his body is flooded with testosterone, which will impact his brain and other process as he continues to age. The same goes for Natalie, but estrogen is produced. For Darren, testosterone can have many effects on his body. Some things that they can affect are his behavior or aggression, risk-taking during situations, hair growth of the body, muscle mass, his ability to have an erection and the growth of his sexual organs.
Testosterone will affect his body by secreting oil, which may result in acne, and also affects how he will compete for a mate. A few examples include that Natalie is in the play and Darren, who knows in the play he will have an opportunity to kiss her is given a motive to join the play. His testosterone allows him to compete against David, and try to win the part from David, while also trying to win Natalie’s favor. In his mind, the fight he had with David is a victory as he bested someone that he himself considered a potential mate to Natalie. Estrogen affects the growth of Natalie’s sexual organs, and also has effects on her body. Hair on the head for Natalie will be more permanent, while hair elsewhere will be thin and finer. Estrogen affects the vocal cords, resulting in it being smaller and her having a higher pitched voice. Testosterone and estrogen have differences that help differentiate between males and females, and allows them to go through life. Females produce estrogen, while males produce testosterone. But both sexes have a small amount of the opposite hormone inside them that they can produce if it is needed. An example is CAH, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. More commonly found in females, it is where they produce more testosterone than they should, while also producing estrogen. It is as if the counter that keeps track of testosterone in females is broken, and is constantly being produced, and it is the direct opposite for men.
Natalie at points of the documentary has outbursts, from the effect of estrogen and not knowing how to cope with it. She angrily wants to get a tattoo, and when told no goes further into an attitude with her parents. Darren and his testosterone, all he can think about is sex. His brain, behavior, and other facets of life at his time during the documentary are all focused on sex. When he develops his first erection, his mother tries to wake him from sleeping, but he quickly flips and hides before his mother notices. While Darren does not achieve his final goal of having sex with Natalie, the kiss could lead to future progress that may result in this scenario.

Words Used: Estrogen, Testosterone, CAH, Hypothalamus, Pituitary Gland

The documentary of Teen Dreams discusses the lives of Darren and Natalie as they go through the experience of puberty. The various episodes of the documentary discuss how various factors influence the motivation and actions of both Darren and Natalie when confronted with different scenarios. Chapter three of our text discusses how the brain effects the manner in which individuals react and the different factors that motivate certain types of actions. Teen Dreams uses several biological factors in order to explain why Darren and Natalie react in the manner they do when dealing with certain situations.

Hormones are widely discussed throughout the entire documentary. Both Natalie and Darren experience various hormonal changes in their bodies throughout the film. One of the first hormones that is introduced is the hormone gonadotropin. This hormone begins the process of maturation in both males and females. However, the reaction and effects of this hormone varies between both Darren and Natalie as seen in the documentary. Darren begins to develop the testosterone while Natalie begins to develop estrogen. These hormones are used in order to begin the desire or “want” for reproduction. Although testosterone and estrogen prepare the body for reproduction, there is not sufficient hormone release at the begin stage of puberty. The hormone release increases throughout puberty for both individuals as seen throughout the film.

At a certain age, Darren’s body begins to release enough testosterone in his body to begin his interest in sex. At this point, Darren’s motivation for certain behaviors starts begins to change. In the documentary, Darren’s testosterone begins to cause him to become more competitive with David in regard to Natalie’s attention. Due to his newfound competitiveness, he is motivated to audition for Romeo and Juliet in order to have a chance to kiss Natalie. However, his rise in testosterone causes him to begin to develop acne and thus he is motivated to wear makeup in order to hide his acne. The development of this hormone drastically influences his motivation and reaction to the situations that arise.

There is a brief moment in Teen Dreams where Darren has a physical confrontation with David for the attention of Natalie. During this threatening event, the Amygdala stimulation in Darren’s body causes him to react in anger and thus results in him and David becoming involved in a physical confrontation at the mall. Although the Amygdala stimulation in this instance resulted in Darren becoming motivated to fight David, there is an instance in the documentary where the Amygdala stimulation in his body motivates Darren to react in a different manner. During the live performance of Romeo and Juliet, the rapid rise in testosterone in Darren’s body causes his vocal chords to enlarge and thus alters his voice. In this instance, the amygdala stimulation in his body causes a rise in fear and anxiety and thus causes Darren to stay quiet during the performance.

The secretion of the hormone estrogen is also altering Natalie’s motivation throughout the documentary. When Natalie’s body begins to secrete estrogen her body begins to mature and as a result she begins to develop interest in David due to the fact that she is attracted to older individuals. Natalie becomes upset when Darren, whom she does not have any interest in due to her belief that he lacks maturity, successfully receives the role of Romeo. However, as Darren matures, Natalie begins to develop an interest in him and as a result finds herself seeking his attention. This scenario demonstrates that Natalie’s motivation to interact with Darren increased as he began to develop more mature characteristics. Natalie also experiences the stimulation of Amygdala throughout the documentary. An example of this is seen when she begins to develop acne on her face and as a result the stimulation raises her anxiety and fear. Due to this factor, Natalie begins staying at home and avoiding going to public areas due to the embarrassment. This fear and anxiety can also be seen when she begins to experience her first period and is seen sitting in the restroom with her face in her hands.

Teen Dreams demonstrates the influences that hormones and biological factors have on the motivation of both Darren and Natalie. Throughout the documentary, the rise in estrogen and testosterone in both individuals causes them to react in various manners to different scenarios that arise. Their biological developments throughout the film cause both individuals to become motivated to gain the attention of one another and to react to situations due to the influence of their hormones and environment.

Terms:
Hormones
Testosterone
Estrogen
Motivation
Want
Amygdala

Hormones are an essential part for growing, and day to day activities as a human. In these three clips, it focused on the children Natalie and Darren as they begin to go through puberty. This short film discusses the influences of their actions, just like it explains in our book.

This whole film was essentially about the hormones in our body and how they motivate Darren and Natalie on the daily. One example from the book is when the book talks about cortisol, the so called “stress hormone,” and when Darren gets stressed out on stage and can no longer speak. At this point, he probably got a rush of stress and embarrassment, which resulted in a release of cortisol. Another example of Darren is the steroid hormone testosterone. Darren becomes sexually attracted to Natalie, and starts making more decisions based on her. One time this happens in the film is when he decides to try out for the part of Romeo. The book states that testosterone generally creates more competition so another time you can see this as an example in the short film is when Darren decides he wants to fight David in the mall.

At the age that Darren and Natalie are, their bodies are constantly changing every day. Some of the things are physical and it is easier to notice, but other things not so much. The book talks about we are not always consciously aware of the motivational basis of our behavior. I think that at this point in Darren and Natalie’s lives, they are not always aware of why the they are doing things. For example, when Natalie gets very defensive and aggressive towards her parents at dinner, she does not intend to be like this, but her hormones are changing and she has not learned how to cope with them yet. Another example of estrogen in Natalie is when she learns that David is not Romeo, but instead it is Darrel, she gets angry and leaves the situation. She does not know how to cope with her changing emotions yet at this point either.

The book also talks a little bit about hypothalamus, which seeks the wants for and pleasures associated with water, food, and sexual partners. The hypothalamus is the “master gland” and it controls the pituitary gland and the autonomic nervous system. This is the area most commonly known for “fight or flight.” This has multiple examples during the short film. A previous example of Darren fighting David could be because of the hypothalamus. He felt like he was in danger, so he resulted in fighting him. Within the hypothalamus, it looks for the basic pleasures in life. Darren wanting Natalie and going out of his way to do things to spend time with her is from the hypothalamus because it is pleasing to him. As he gets older, he is realizing that he may have more than friendly feelings towards Natalie.

In both this short film and the book, you see plenty of connecting examples of how the brain plays a huge role in our daily motivations. This short film showed how specific hormones play roles in Darren and Natalie. Both show many physical and emotional changes, causing them to have different motives.

Terms: hormones, testosterone, estrogen, motivation, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, nervous system, fight or flight

I want to focus on the scene where Natalie has an argument with her dad, goes outside, and finds Darren peeping through the trees into Natalie’s yard. So many parts of this scene relate back to motivation and emotion. Why does Natalie suddenly want to get a tattoo? Why does Natalie get so upset with her dad? Why does she leave the house? Why is Darren peeping through the trees at Natalie? Why does he get tongue-tied? The answer to all these questions lies within motivation and emotion.
Chapter one of the textbook discussed the different types of internal motives. One was needs. Needs are vital motivators that keep us alive. For example, hunger motivates us to eat, which in turn gives us nutrients to continue living. Natalie and Darren are experiencing the effects of hormones, which are automatically released once puberty starts. These hormones, estrogen and testosterone, give Natalie and Darren the motivators they need to reproduce, which is necessary in order for the human population to continue on.
This leads to a point made in chapter three. Some motives come from the cerebral cortex and in language structures within the brain. This means we are conscious of why we do what we do. For example, I set a goal to write this post before I go to bed tonight. I can consciously give reason for why I decided to type this post tonight. Some motives, however, are unconscious. For example, Darren’s motivation to creepily peep through the trees at Natalie originated from an overwhelming amount of testosterone coursing through his body. When Natalie asked him why he was outside, his response was not, “I have a lot of testosterone coursing through my body.” Since he’s not conscious of the testosterone motivating his behavior, he made up a reason for being outside. Like Darren’s motivation to seek out Natalie, some of our motives are only conscious to us as wants or urges.
The same idea of unconscious motives can be applied to Natalie’s fight with her parents. Natalie had a new and overwhelming amount of estrogen in her body that she didn’t yet know how to control. This resulted as an overload of emotions. She told her parents that they were too predictable, and she wanted a tattoo. In reality, she probably didn’t actually want a tattoo; it’s just something she said out of frustration with her parents. Furthermore, she her frustration likely wasn’t a conscious decision either; it likely stemmed from the mass amount of estrogen being produced in her brain. Since she’s not aware of the estrogen’s influence on her emotions, she didn’t tell her parents she was feeling frustrated because of her high estrogen level. Instead, she got even more upset and told them she didn’t even know why they had her in the first place. I think an overall theme from the chapters and Teen Dreams is that motives can come from a variety of sources, both external and internal, conscious and unconscious.

Terms:
motivation
emotion
internal motives
needs
hormones
cerebral cortex
testosterone
estrogen

Many structures and hormones in the body can influence motivation, which is well represented in the Teen Dreams videos. The videos follow Natalie and Darren through puberty, and there are many examples within the videos of how hormones can affect the body and motivate it to change and adapt to these hormones. During puberty, cells release hormones in the brain that carry signals from the brain to the rest of the body. During the videos, knowledge on the different brain structures that control different behaviors/motivations can be helpful to understand what is causing the characters to be motivated to behave a certain way.

One brain structure that is represented early in the videos is the amygdala. This brain structure is responsible for emotions and mood, especially negative emotions. This is represented by the character Natalie when she is eating dinner with her parents and starts discussing herself getting a tattoo. When her parents reject this idea, she immediately gets very upset and angry, and cannot seem to regulate her emotions very well. This is due to the amount of hormones in Natalie’s body at this time of puberty, and the hormones affect the ability of the amygdala to control these outbursts.

Another brain structure that is being activated in the film is the hypothalamus. This brain structure is associated with biological functions, such as eating, drinking, and mating. This brain structure is in use many times throughout the film as both the characters of Darren and Natalie are influenced and motivated by their sex drive. During Darren’s time of puberty, his testosterone hormone levels continue to rise, and this motivates the body to activate his reproductive circuit and his desire for sex. The activation of the sex drive in the hypothalamus due to the increase in testosterone can assist in explaining the motivation of Darren to take the lead role in the play with the girl he wants as a sexual partner.

Throughout the film, Natalie is continuously considering her options of sexual partners, debating between Darren and the other boy in the film. This consideration of options is motivated by the orbitofrontal cortex in the brain. This structure is responsible for incentive motivation and goal selection, which is why it is active while Natalie is deciding on the best partner. She is using the orbitofrontal cortex to compare the potential value of each option, and this motivation will guide her behavior and actions on which partner she picks.

In chapter 3 of our textbook, there is a section about how we are not always consciously aware of the motivational basis of our behavior. I was somewhat confused on this concept earlier in the week when reading this information, and did not understand how we could be motivated to do a certain action and not be aware of this motivation, but Teen Dreams has helped me to understand how this is possible and in what context. During puberty, the body is motivated to adapt to the changes it is experiencing, and this is represented constantly in the videos. One example is when Darren is aggressive toward his classmate. He may not be aware of why his actions were so aggressive, but unconsciously his body and mind are motivated to fight over the eligible mate. This unconscious motivation is also represented by Natalie when she is moody and uncomfortable during her first menstrual cycle. She may not be aware of why she is in pain and so moody, but unconsciously her body is motivated to reproduce and be prepared for reproduction when the time comes.

Terms:
Hormones
Testosterone
Behavior
Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Orbitofrontal Cortex

Chapter three of our text discusses how the motivations we develop for our behavior are actually constructed. The chapter explains how we have different motives for certain desires that we often experience. In the video we see this with Darren, one of the main characters. The chapter explains how we start to experience a boost in hormones and internal emotions due to testosterone and estrogen (and other chemicals) that cause us to feel a sexual attraction to someone else. Now, at a younger age, we do not really tend to highlight that these emotions are “sex” based. But as our bodies and brain develop we can understand what was going on in our bodies during this time period called puberty. Our bodies, during this transitional stage, we are constantly changing and our hormones are forming new connections in our brains that develop emotions that we are not normally used to. We see this in the video how Natalie developed stronger feelings that she is not normally used to having. She is seen yelling at her parents for almost no logical reason. The higher levels of estrogen that are in her body are causing this.
In chapter one we receive a breakdown of certain hormones and in the documentary we are able to get a visual for how these hormones come into play. While watching the video I initially always thought that women overall simply developed more and faster than men. But we see how Darren received the hormone testosterone earlier but his body changed slower. In the first chapter we see how estrogen also has an effect in boys as well. Darren in the video needs to develop more estrogen in order to grow and develop compared to Natalie who is getting taller, looking older, being more adventurous, and also having breasts enlarge. All while Darren seems to be the same size and look the same age.
As the body grows and estrogen levels increase our body goes through a growth spurt. As stated in the chapters and in the video, our body grows at a so much faster rate compared to when we were children or babies. Not only does testosterone cause the the voice to deepen, but causes the male sexual organs to increase in size along with the muscles. All these changes are caused to the desire to become more sexually attractive.
For women, as testosterone levels increase pubic hair and other body hair such as the armpits and legs begin to grow. As women develop and reach sexual maturity, they develop eggs that are carried and extracted through the body through the girls period. I was surprised by how long of a process this was and for how long women deal with periods (40 years).
Lastly, for Darren and Kristie at the end of the video they reach sexual maturity and Darren experiences a “wet dream” which I personally thought was interesting to add to the video, but it was informative to see how they have matured over all and how the hormones and motives and drives behind our desires are created in the brain through this video and through what we talk about in class and read for our assignments.

Terms
Testosterone
Estrogen
Eggs
Puberty
growth spurt
sexual maturity

Teen dreams is a very interesting film that demonstrates the differences one between males and females and puberty and the changes in the body as well as the functions of the brain and the hormones that act to make the changes. I have previously seen this movie last semester as well while in developmental psychology but looking at it more from a motivation and emotion standpoint as well as just reading he text over the brain and its functions I took a totally different perspective on the film this time around watching it. First Darren and Natalie are best friends while small changes are going on in their body but then Darren starts to realize that he is beginning to like his friend more then just friends at this point. During this time Darren pituitary and hypothalamus glands in the brain are beginning to send out the chemicals called hormones. These hormones then are begging to work their way through his body and are the reason that the changes are happening. It shows the different steps after each night when he wakes up the next day to different changes first it was the acne that was starting and he didn’t understand why. There were also the changes like his voice when there was singing at school and he was beginning to wonder why Natalie was getting taller and he wasn’t yet. During this time that Darren was changing quickly feelings wise and wanting to kiss Natalie while Natalie wanted nothing to do with him her hormones were also changing just a little different. Natalie was beginning to take her growth spurt first while her sex drive was still developing just at a slower rate than Darren’s. This movie also shows very well the changes that take place especially for boys because unlike girls there is not just one big marker for puberty but many different changes. The movie started with the slow changes like acne showing up, later the struggle with his voice when he was in choir and he was not sure why it was changing when he had been the same for so long. It then went on and the more testosterone in his body then his feelings began to change for the girl that was at one point just his neighbor and good friend. At the same time Natalie was also having changes but not quite the same ones. She had body changes and growth as well as Darren but in a much slower way. Her drive and want to have deeper relationships and her sex drive develops much slower than Darren’s. There were scenes throughout the film that showed the slow changes that were taking place and then it wraps itself around at the end by showing that there comes in a point when eventually girls and boys hit the same points such as growth, and other things that go along with puberty. Soon Natalie was getting feelings for boys and went through the part towards then end where she was to kiss a boy while in their singing show for school and she hated doing it because it changed to be Darren due to his voice change but then realized it wasn’t that bad. Puberty is hit at many different points for females and males but eventually the same sort of things happens to each person.

Terms:
Hormones
Brain
Puberty
Chemicals
testosterone
pituitary
hypothalamus glands

The brain plays a very large role during puberty for young teenagers. Puberty starts early and as both Darren and Natalie are much younger children, their bodies are creating spaces where sperm can be produced (testicles) and where eggs can mature (ovaries). The hormones that are crucial to reproduction like testosterone and estrogen begin to play their part. The brain will motivate the hormones to make these upcoming changes in their bodies and to reproduce. The kids aren’t consciously aware that they’re being motivated to reproduce, but their bodies are being motivated anyway.

Years later, other changes can start to be seen in both boys and girls. Due to extra testosterone in boys, their voices start to change, they become more competitive, acne appears, and may have more sensitive erections. As we saw in the video, Darren started to have more sexual thoughts, which became more obvious as the posters in his bedroom began to change from education posters and posters of interest to sexual posters of women.

Darren has begun to notice Natalie, which made him become more competitive because other boys were also interested in Natalie. Darren’s goal is to be attract Natalie. He competes with David to get the role of Romeo and fights with him in the courtyard. Many times Natalie turned him down, but he persisted and didn’t let down. Even through all of the downfalls Darren suffered because of puberty, like acne, being awkward because of length, and his vocal chords changing, he stuck it out through the end and finally got to kiss Natalie at the end of the play.

Estrogen begins to cause Natalie to behave differently because the estrogen spikes start to cause her to become moody. In the scene where she is eating dinner with her parents, she can be seen overreacting and getting angry when her parents tell her that she can’t get a tattoo. Her emotions are taking over and causing her react in a much different manner than she would under normal circumstances.

The egg that was held by the follicle dies and needs to discharge. When the egg is dying, her levels of estrogen drop and testosterone peaks through causing acne to appear. The lower estrogen also causes her uterus to not be habitable and the need to shed, thus, the start of her period. Cramps often are a big downfall of a period because the uterus is contracting causing pains. We can see that Natalie was most likely suffering from cramps because as she was laying in her bed, she had a heated pad, and was lying down looking miserable.

Estrogen becomes beneficial for Natalie as she begins to grow more curves and becomes more attractive to a prospective mate. Unfortunately, this can become a problem when boys who are also going through puberty may make sexual jokes or even make moves on a girl like David did at the mall.

Now both Darren and Natalie are ready to have sex and reproduce. Obviously, they’re still very young and should not be engaging in reproduction, but their bodies have fully matured and developed.

Terms:
Testosterone
Estrogen
Hormones
Competition
Period
Reproduction
Sexual
Goals
Puberty

This documentary touched base on a couple of concepts from chapter one as well as one concept from chapter three. The first concept from chapter one that I could tie into this documentary was brain activations and physiology. This concept explains that as people and animals prepare to engage in various activities, brain sites become activated and the nervous and endocrine systems manufacture and release various chemical substances (e.g., neurotransmitters, hormones) that provide the biological underpinnings of motivational and emotional states (Reeve 12). This concept shows itself early in the documentary when talking about Natalie and Darren’s brains slowly starting to prepare their bodies to be able to reproduce. Darren’s brain causes a release of a hormone called gonadotrophins. This hormone causes cell division in Darren’s testicles. These cells then form into tubes where sperm will be produced in the future. Another example of this is when Darren first sees Natalie at the auditions for Romeo and Juliet while he is waiting for band practice. Testosterone soaked through the membrane of dormant cells which triggered a chemical reaction that brought to life a group of interconnected brain cells that was known as his reproductive circuit. In both instances, although Darren did not consciously know, his body was preparing itself to undergo major changes and releases of important hormones was a result.

The second concept from chapter one that I tied to this documentary was motivation includes both approach and avoidance tendencies. Approach-oriented motivational states include interest, hope, joy, expectation, desire, achievement motivation, self-actualization, etc. Basically, all things positive. On the opposite end, avoidance-oriented motivational states include fear, anxiety, frustration, etc. Basically, all things bad. An approach-oriented motivational state presented itself in this documentary when Darren decides to try out for the school play in hopes of landing the lead as Romeo so that he can get a chance to kiss Natalie. This is not the only time this concept came into play. An avoidance-oriented motivational state came into play during this documentary when Darren’s testosterone levels are extremely high and he gets frustrated with David at the mall and causes a fight. Darren is not the only one in this documentary that has an incident with an avoidance-oriented motivational state. Natalie is undergoing changes in her brain which is triggering new, strong emotions. In a scene where she is eating dinner with her parents she gets frustrated and angry with her parents because they tell her that she cannot get a tattoo.

The final concept that I will tie into this documentary came from chapter three. This concept is biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures. This means that brain structures have receptive sites on them that endow them with the potential to be stimulated. The biochemical agents that stimulate these receptor sites are neurotransmitters and hormones (Reeve 50).This is presented in the documentary when inactive parts of Natalie’s brain start to come to life due to the release of estrogen. This estrogen release causes a stimulation of nerve endings resulting in new connections. These new connections lead to an overwhelming amount of new, uncontrollable emotions for Natalie.

Key Terms:
Avoidance and approach-oriented motivational states, hormones, biochemical agents, neurotransmitters

Hormones are an important part of our daily life; they tell us when to eat (ghrelin), when we are feeling stressed (cortisol), when we are happy (dopamine) and may other things. The release of the hormones testosterone and estrogen start the journey that all humans go through. The journey of puberty and the goal of puberty is for the individual to reach sexual maturation so that they can reproduce and pass on their genes.
A surge of testosterone in males can make them extremely competitive and more aggressive than usual. This is an unconscious behavior that is linked to the limbic system. Motivation can change over time and that can influence behaviors. Daren’s interests in his neighbor Natalie changed when they both started going through puberty. When Daren saw Natalie and Damian auditioning for the school play, Daren felt the need to join they play just so that he could be close to Natalie. When Daren saw Natalie at the mall with Damian, he had a reaction to fight with Damian for Natalie. The fighting goes back to prehistoric times where males would fight each other to show their dominance and win a mate.
Most of our actions during puberty are due to our unconscious mind. At a young age, 13-year-old boys don’t really know why they like girls who have filled out more than girls who haven’t hit puberty yet. These motives are not cognitive, they are biological. Boys are drawn to filler hips because that is a sign that a woman is sexually matured and can reproduce and pass on genes with a male. The body releases hormones to change the body physically to make you more physically attractive to members of the opposite sex. The whole goal of puberty is getting the body ready to reproduce. The age that sexual maturation is reached is usually 11 or 12 and that is not an appropriate age to try to reproduce. Even though preteenagers are not mentally ready for sex, the body still produces sperm and continues to shed the unfertilized egg every month.
I know that when I have a goal in mind, I am very motivated to reach that goal. For example, graduating this spring is a major goal and my ways to reach that milestone is to study hard for my exams and stay on top of homework assignments so that I don’t get penalized for late work. An unconscious motivation is doing stuff that makes me happy. I am motivated to work out to stay healthy and to reduce stress, but I know that this also releases dopamine that makes me feel good. While I know working out makes me feel good about myself I do it to stay healthy. Some motives may cause a conflict that can deter you from reaching your goal. Maybe you really wish to go to graduate school, but your grades aren’t very good or you can’t afford it. Depending on how motivated you are to go to graduate school, those challenges can either be overcome or they can be a roadblock that you decide not to work through.

Terms: Hormone, testosterone, estrogen, behavior, cognitive behavior, goals, motivation, unconscious behavior, limbic system,

Teen Dreams documentary was the perfect example of adolescents who are going through puberty stage. This movie mostly focuses on Natalie and Darren and how their body is going a major developmental transition. We know that our body produces hormones that trigger the process of puberty in Darren and Natalie. The pituitary gland (which is located in the hypothalamus) is mostly responsible for these hormones to be released and make someone feel in a certain way. Darren’s body produces testosterones whereas Natalie’s body produce estrogen.

As these hormones are released, it will have affect their brain as they both will continue to age. But these affects will be very different. For example, as Darren’s body will try to adjust according to how it’s changing, he will eventually deal with growing hair on his different parts of the body, he will get more aggressive as his urge to have sex will increase. He will gain body mass muscle/his height, and he will become more of a risk-taker. These changes are happening due to his hormones stimulating with hypothalamus which does not only increases his sex drive over time, but also affects vital functions such as, mating, eating, feeling hunger, feeling thirst, and etc.

The documentary also talks about another character name David who is a little more mature than Darren and knows how to “approach” and impress a girl. He gets to date Natalie right away and wins her heart whereas Darren still tries to figure out how to win Natalie. He gets motivated and decides to act in a play where he knows he will be given an opportunity to kiss Natalie and overcome his challenger. As we learn in the play that both Natalie and Darren experiences something that isn’t very pleasant. Natalie discovers hair on her armpits which kind of is causing bodily odor and Darren recieves his first avoidant behavior towards her. We learn that Darren then is not too affectionate towards her anymore. This results in Darren kissing Natalie on the cheeks to avoid the odor rather than giving her a passionate kiss as he wanted. I would say that he is definitely confused by how he wants Natalie, like, if he just wanted her sexually and backed off by the scent or did he really want to be with her regardless?

The other major example that documentary shows is that when David once again tries to make Darren jealous at the mall as he is sitting with Natalie. Darren finally tackles and beat David in the fight in front of Natalie and feel really proud which leads him to hope an approval from Natalie. Unfortunately, she leaves the scene as it is due to oncoming of her first menstrual cycle.
In the last scene, we learn that Darren’s hard work is finally paid off when Natalie shows affectionate behavior towards him at the musical night. To “seal the deal”, he gets a very passionate kiss from Natalie. We know that the biological goal of mating has not been completed but his affection towards Natalie and his hard work to make that achievement has been successfully completed.

We have learned in our class and in this documentary that persistence are very important when you are trying to reach and accomplish a goal. Darren would be a perfect example of this because throughout this movie, he shows his motivation and his urge to get what he wanted. I would say that his persistent behavior towards Natalie has definitely played a big role in his journey that truly helped him to achieve his goal.

Tanner Konrardy
Hormones are arguably the most important thing to happen to us during our teen years. These monsters have played with us in many ways, from reflex erections and voice cracks to pimples and periods. The main hormones in my focus are testosterone and estrogen. Both of these hormones are generated inside of the body due to a shock in the brain deciding to start production. In Teen Dreams, Darren and Natalie go through some of the misadventures of puberty and learn about what is happening to their bodies.

Natalie and Darren both produce testosterone and estrogen, but at different levels. The estrogen count inside of Natalie is far greater than Darrens, and vice versa. The testosterone inside of Darren’s body changes his motivations from playing with his best friend to looking at her as a potential mate. In the scene where Natalie’s family is eating dinner and her father brings up her perfume, the estrogen that’s working inside the brain shocks a nerve endings which fire out in an emotional way. She then starts going on about how she can never do anything and her parents always tell her no. This outburst is due to the fact that she cannot handle her estrogen fueled emotions yet. After she storms out of the house she sees Darren who was apparently spying on her. With testosterone raging throughout his body telling him he needs to have sex with Natalie, he makes up an excuse for spying on her.

The testosterone inside of Darren’s body makes him more competitive towards the same sex which leads him to try out for the play and take David’s spot of Romeo, as well as the newly found motivation to mate. The testosterone also multiplies most of his muscle fibers which thicken creating bulkier biceps, legs, and triceps. On the other hand, Natalie’s testosterone starts to grow hair follicles on her armpits, as well as her groin. For both Darren and Natalie, testosterone creates pores which are filled with sebum. These then turn into pimples if not well maintained. Men experience pimples much quicker than females.

The estrogen inside Natalie’s body makes her grow faster than Darren and look more mature. Natalie’s growth spurt started well before Darren’s. His brain turns the excess testosterone into estrogen to fill the lack of it, which takes a decent amount of time. Women also need testosterone through the adrenal glands for sex drive. After enough time has passed, he finally had produced enough testosterone to be transferred into estrogen for his growth spurt. This leads to difficulty following the movements of the school play with his dance moves. His legs have grown so fast that his brain can’t monitor where they are at all times.

One of the main objectives of these sex hormones is to make changes which in turn seem more attractive to potential mates. For instance, the growth in muscle fibers for men as well as growth spurts, and the fat that accumulates in the form of breasts and butt for females. This backfires when Darren starts to get pimples due to a testosterone surge he had earlier that night. Natalie’s sebum is also producing at the same rate but her estrogen keeps the pimples away for a longer period of time.

M&E Terms:
Hormones
Testosterone
Estrogen
Motivation

Teen Dreams is about two teens named Daren and Natalie. In this video we get to understand how their body and mind work. It explains how these changes come about from the secretion of estrogen and testosterone. We learn that Natalie has ovaries and Daren has sperm. Hormones in the body are the chemical messengers that trigger the process of puberty for both of them. Daren’s body is full of testosterone and this is impacting his brain and other processes in his body. This process is also doing the same in Natalie’s body. The testosterone and estrogen cause different things to happen in the body. This can be shown with Daren by growth of body hair, the ability to have erections, and a deepening of his voice.
The Two main individuals discussed in this have different experiences with their hormones. First is Daren who begins to show an interest in sex at an earlier age. One of the main effects of this is that he is interested in sex, and this causes his motivation to change. One example of how his motivation chances is that he wants to audition for Romeo for the chance to kiss Natalie. Another example that is involved with his Romeo part is that during one of his lines his voice gets altered.
Natalie is also experiencing this rush of estrogen in her body, and this is shown is various different ways. Natalie has a fight with her parents and because of the estrogen she did not know how to stay in control. She was not able to control her emotion, and was getting extremely frustrated with her parents. Natalie was not aware of what was going on in her body, and did not understand that this emotion was coming from her hormones.
A lot of brain structures were demonstrated and explained in this. One of the main structure demonstrated was the amygdala. It is responsible for emotions and moods, and this is shown in the above paragraph for Natalie’s interaction with her parents. One other structure that was shown was the hypothalamus. This structure goes with eating, drinking, and sexual desires. The hypothalamus can relate more to the above paragraph of Daren. The hypothalamus relates to sexual desires and can explain why Daren would audition for the role of a male that got to kiss the opposite sex.
Overall I think this video was able to represent what different hormones can do in the body. It also should be relatable to many of us who went through puberty and can relate to what was happening to Daren and Natalie. I think that this was able to give us a lot of good information that we may have not known or understood before. Chapter 3 is a great description of how biology can relate t our motivation. I also think it gave a great description of what estrogen and testosterone stimulate the brain during puberty.

Terms:
Estrogen
Testosterone
Hypothalamus
Puberty
Eggs
Sexual Maturity

Teen Dreams focuses on two hormones during puberty that deal with motivation and emotion. Darren and Natalia notice the changes happening to their bodies, but are not consciously aware of their body’s biological motivation for these changes, to reproduce and pass on genes. Two hormones are released in the body during puberty, testosterone and estrogen. These hormones are an essential part of reaching sexual maturity, the stage in a person’s life when they are able to reproduce. Darren and Natalia each have both of these hormones, but how their body’s deal with these hormones during puberty are completely different.

In parts 1 and 2, we see the effects of the hormones on their bodies before becoming fully matured. During the night, a hormone called gonadotropin is released by the pituitary gland (located below the hypothalamus) and starts the activity of the testes and ovaries. This happens for years before sex hormones are developed. In males, testes produce a hormone called testosterone, or as the book refers to it, “the mating hormone.” Testosterone is produced by the adrenal glands in females. Testosterone is associated with high sexual motivation (pg. 67) in males and females. In females, ovaries produce a hormone called estrogen. Estrogen causes growth spurts in females and males. Males get estrogen from excess testosterone, it changes into estrogen.

Darren’s sex drive begins before Natalia’s does, but Natalia grows and matures well before Darren does. This is because Darren is exposed to testosterone first, while Natalia is exposed to estrogen first. While Darren begins his sex drive, Natalie shows strong emotions. In part 1, we see her at the dinner table yelling at her parents. This is because of the estrogen causing powerful emotions.

Throughout the film, we see how persistent Darren is to be the boy Natalia likes. According to the text, “testosterone underlies the mating effort—the investment of time and energy into same-sex competition and mate-seeking behavior” (pg. 67). In part 2, he becomes competitive and joins the play, Romeo and Juliet in rap. He auditions to become Romeo because Natalia is Juliet and his goal is to kiss her in the play. In part 3, David makes fun of Darren’s squeaky voice and Darren fights him, due to increased aggression.

Teen Dreams does a very nice job depicting our body’s biological motivation to reproduce (while Darren and Natalia are not consciously aware it is happening). It also does a very nice job showing the emotions that go along with being a pubescent teen.

Terms used:
Hormones
Gonadotropin
Testosterone
Estrogen
Motivation
Persistent
Goal

Throughout Teen Dreams, the narrator addresses the perennial questions of motivation and emotion multiple times. The first question, “What causes behavior?”, in this docuseries, is answered by considering the effect of puberty on adolescent behavior. The second question, “Why does behavior vary in intensity?”, is explained by the differences in puberty for males and females. Overall, this episode strives to explore the different elements that make motivation unobservable and mysterious such as brain structures, neurotransmitters, and hormones.

There are several brain structures that play a part in motivating individuals but, based on the information presented in Teen Dreams, the primary structures involved in puberty are the hypothalamus and amygdala. Firstly, the hypothalamus is a huge component of the brain’s ability to motivate people because of its control over the pituitary gland and autonomic nervous system. The former allows the hypothalamus to communicate with the endocrine system which controls the release of hormones. This is extremely important to the process of puberty because hormones such as testosterone and estrogen stimulate change in adolescents. The latter plays an especially important role in male puberty because of the autonomic nervous systems control over organ functions that are involuntary. On several occasions throughout the episode, the narrator describes the process of an erection with little to no physical stimulation. Regardless of stimulation, erections are a product of the effect of the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamus because of their involuntary nature.

Secondly, the amygdala’s function helps to understand the mood fluctuations in adolescents going through puberty. The textbook describes how the amygdala communicates with nearly every part of the brain but receives very little communication back. Due to this, negative emotions (which are often supported by the role of the amygdala) are overwhelming and can push away cognitive, rational thought. This is shown in Teen Dreams when Natalie can’t understand her sudden shift in moods and outbursts at the dinner table.

The next element of motivation that is addressed in Teen Dreams is the effect of neurotransmitters on puberty. The most relevant neurotransmitter pathways are dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Dopamine is addressed the most thoroughly in both the textbook and the episode. In Teen Dreams, dopamine is addressed indirectly by considering Darren’s anticipation of sexual activities. His anticipation of these things releases dopamine and increases his interests in sex and desire to approach this behavior. Also, addressed indirectly, are the effects of serotonin and norepinephrine. Serotonin influences moods and emotions and can be seen in the previous example of Natalie’s mood swings at dinner. Similarly, norepinephrine regulates arousal such as the multiple erections experienced by Darren throughout the episode.

Lastly, hormones play an integral role in puberty. For males, testosterone stimulates the process of puberty and effects their behaviors in a few ways that were made evident in Teen Dreams. Testosterone is associated with sexual motivation that was used to help our ancestors with mating. In this episode, we see these behaviors expressed through same-sex competition. Darren and David fight in the mall over their desire to both capture the attention and interest of Natalie. This can be attributed to the effect of testosterone on their bodies. Similarly, females experience an increase in estrogen that begins their puberty. Although the effects of this are not described in the text, the authors do address the effect of the hormone, oxytocin. This hormone is a common source of motivation in women that is sometimes referred to as the “tend and befriend stress response”. This hormone’s effect can be seen in Teen Dreams when Natalie looks to Simone for guidance with her boy troubles.

Overall, Teen Dreams addressed puberty in males and females by considering the underlying process in conjunction with the observable outcome. This involved exploring the two perennial questions of motivation and emotion, as well as, the effect of brain structures, neurotransmitters, and hormones in the process. The hypothalamus and amygdala play a large role in the release of hormones, erections, and the power of negative emotions. The neurotransmitter pathways such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine effect pleasure, emotions, and sexual arousal. Lastly, hormones such as testosterone and estrogen play the most important role in the process of puberty.

Terms:

Two Perennial Questions
Brain Structures
Neurotransmitters
Hormones
Hypothalamus
Pituitary Gland
Autonomic Nervous System
Endocrine System
Amygdala
Dopamine
Serotonin
Norepinephrine
Testosterone
Estrogen
Oxytocin

Teen Dreams does a great job of demonstrating the process of puberty from beginning to end and the differences that occur between male and female not only physiologically, but in the brain as well.
The first principle that comes into play from our text is internal motives that occur during puberty. Darren has a sense of emotion that arouse his romantic interest in his neighbor, Natalie. Darren had always seen Natalie as a companion who lived next door until the beginning process of puberty began taking place in Darren’s brain. Darren becomes motivated in joining the school play solely to get closer to Natalie. When Darren took the leap to join the school play, it reaffirms Charles Darwin’s argument that emotions are innate. Darwin states that emotions serve as an adaptation to environmental opportunities and challenges Darren saw this as an opportunity. The majority of the docudrama relates to chapter 3 of the text best, including Behavioral Activation System (BAS). The BAS activates the brain to tell the body to do things that make them feel good, completing activities for the sole reason to get something that you want.
The majority of these actions taken are occurring unconsciously. For example, Darren did not seek interest in the girl who was trying out for the part of the play before Natalie. When Natalie took the stage, Darren saw someone who he was attracted to physically, without knowing that Natalie was also going through puberty as well. Attributes that support Natalie’s development in puberty include her height, and filling out a figure of a full-grown adult woman. Females begin going through puberty earlier than males. This is why in the film Natalie is portrayed as someone who is taller than most of her peers. The reason for this height difference is due to the production of estrogen in Natalie’s body. Estrogen production increase bone growth.
During the middle phase of puberty, Darren’s body began producing testosterone. Testosterone is associated with high competition and status seeking behaviors. Teen Dreams did a great job of reflecting this during the scene where Darren gets into a physical fight at the mall with Natalie’s crush David in order to gain social status not only from Natalie, but from Natalie’s friend Simone. Often times same-sex competition takes place because of mate-seeking behavior. Natalie did not find the fight appealing, however, Simone did.

ME terms:
Estrogen
Testosterone
Darwin/Emotions
BAS system
Motivation
Emotion
Needs
Feelings

Darren has a high testosterone level which means that he invests a lot of “time and energy into same-sex competition and mate-seeking behavior” (Reeves, 67). Once he starts generating testosterone and becomes attracted to Natalie, he starts spending a lot of time and energy trying to compete with Daniel. Let’s look back at some of the moments where Darren invested time or energy into sex competition and mate-seeking behavior when it comes to Natalie. Once Darren became attracted to Natalie he tried out for the musical, took the lead role away from Natalie’s crush, peeked through the bushes just to get a look at her, and waits for her to leave for school every morning.
Darren’s high testosterone level also means that he has to cope with a want for sex. “Wanting is a motivational state that occurs prior to receiving a reward” (Reeves, 67). Dopamine releasing in Darren’s brain tells Darren “what in the environment (Natalie) are rewarding” (Reeves, 64). The scene in part 1 where Darren is peeking through the bushes at Natalie while she was eating dinner with her families is a perfect example of how strong of a desire or want for sex Darren has and how hard it is for him to control. I also love this scene because it shows how we are not always consciously aware of the motivational basis of our behavior. Because of his high want for sex he less consciously aware of what he was doing. Because he seems to both like and want Natalie if he ends up winning her over he would achieve “the full experience of reward” (Reeves, 67).
Natalie’s testosterone levels aren’t as high as Darren’s, but she does seem to spend a good amount of time and energy throughout the documentary into mate-seeking behavior. Two scenes that I thought were perfect examples of how she has done this is when she is trying on different perfumes in hopes of attracting David or when Simone told her that David was in the playground and her estrogen kicked in as she sprinted to the school.
When reading the hormones in the body section of the textbook and watching the documentary I found similarities with the term Oxycontin and Natalie. Oxycontin “helps explain why people ask counsel and confide in friends during the stressful events in their lives” (Reeves, 67). Natalie is always asking for help when she is stressed, nervous, or needs guidance. Throughout the three clips she frequently is texting Simone asking for advice over David or to vent her frustrations over Darren taking David’s Romeo part in the musical. She also talks to Darren after her meltdown and asks him if she should get a tattoo and if so where she should get it.
A notable example of how motivation cannot be separated from the social context in which it is embedded is when David makes fun of Darren’s squeaky voice, Darren’s amygdala becomes stimulated and he became angry. This gave Darren the motivation to fight David.

Testosterone
Reward
Want
Estrogen
Amygdala
Desire
Motivation
Social Context
Like
Same-Sex Competition
Mate-seeking behavior
Oxytocin
Behavior

Much of Teen Dreams related to the three principles mentioned in chapter three and in class. An environmental event activates biochemical agents, which stimulate brain structures, then cause the brain structures to create different motivational states. Teen Dreams demonstrated how hormonal changes (commonly testosterone and estrogen) within the body affect a person physically, emotionally, and motivationally, which I then paired with brain structure information from the textbook.

Physically, increased testosterone (a steroid hormone) and reproductive circuit overstimulation caused erections for Darrin. For Natalie, estrogen promoted physical growth (height, breasts, hips, etc.), which made her more physically mature than Darrin at one point. After Darrin’s excess testosterone was converted into estrogen, he also experienced a growth spurt, which made his bones and skeleton grow at a quick rate. The growth was so fast that it made Darrin uncoordinated; he had trouble dancing and controlling his body. Another physical change was due to sebum production and clogged pores, which led to infected pores and acne for both teens.

Emotion was portrayed through facial expressions and body language in this video. When Natalie was experiencing a lower level of estrogen, due to the death of one of her eggs, she was visibly apathetic, lying on her bed alone, doing nothing, frowning, and ignoring messages that would typically excite her. She was withdrawn motivationally and emotionally, which is related to the right prefrontal cerebral cortex, an avoidance-oriented structure in the brain. Emotion was directly mentioned during the supper scene with Natalie and her parents. When Natalie’s body started creating estrogen, the estrogen stimulated nerve endings, which then made new connections and circuits, essentially rewiring her brain and causing all sorts of new emotions. Darrin experienced the emotion of anger when he fought with David in the mall. This was an unexpected event, and David’s response to the event was to fight Darrin back, a response from the amygdala.

Although Teen Dreams did not directly mention motivation (from what I remember), you could infer that sexual attraction and hormones related to the motivation of Darrin and Natalie in many ways. For example, Natalie was motivated to stay in bed and not go out with David when she was having her first period, which was another example of avoidance from the right prefrontal cerebral cortex. Some of this decision may have also stemmed from the hippocampus, since Natalie’s first period was an unexpected event. An example from Darrin was when Darrin’s testosterone and new sexual urges for Natalie caused Darrin to be motivated to try out for the musical. His incentive for being in the musical was to spend more time with Natalie, which comes from the approach-oriented brain structure of the orbitofrontal cortex. Darrin’s liking and wanting of Natalie led to a dopamine release, which made him feel good. Wanting more of the feel-good neurotransmitter, Darrin saw an incentive (spending more time with Natalie by being in the musical), enjoyed more dopamine, then got even more dopamine as a reward for accomplishing his goal of becoming Romeo, playing Natalie’s love interest in the musical.

Terms: Biochemical agent, testosterone, estrogen, brain structures, avoidance-oriented structure, right prefrontal cerebral cortex, amygdala, incentive, approach-oriented brain structure, orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, dopamine, neurotransmitter