Developmental Research #8

Adolescent Male Mysteries

When discussing adolescent males and their actions, there are often many stigmas that

surround the topic. There is a common phrase that adults ask boys after they make an ill-

informed decision or do something dangerous; “What were you thinking?” Many adults do not

understand why these adolescent boys make such terrible decisions that could possibly get

themselves or others hurt. Due to societal norms, many of these issues are cause by nurture.

Typically, boys are rather competitive and athletic (Paulson, 2019). Since boys typically are

athletic, they like to see who is the best in a specific physical activity. Thus, the boys who are not

as athletic keep to themselves, because they cannot compete with the bigger, faster, and stronger.

This concept translates to video games as well, since many boys who are unable to successfully

compete with the athletically inclined peers will turn to video games where they can defeat entire

armies of people and dominate the server. Another aspect of boy’s thinking and decision-making

skills is “the boy code.” This code is a set of societal standards that many young men are raised

believing are normal and required for boys to follow. As a form of gender stereotyping, it can be

detrimental to the development of the boys actions with peers (Berk & Meyers, 2016). This type

of This code includes aspects of not showing weakness, not being seen as “acting like a girl,” or

accepting that physical aggression is an appropriate response to anger (Paulson, 2019). These

“rules” can be rather harmful to the development of boys, since they are pushed away from

showing emotion and they bottle a lot of emotions inside until they burst (Berk & Meyers, 2016).

Teachers can help this by not enforcing the boy code in regular day life, like asking how they are

feeling and what emotions they are feeling. Teachers can also be sure to avoid gender typing

toys, colors, or tools, thus eliminating some of the societal standards (Berk & Meyers, 2016). By
phasing out the boy code, boys will be able to express themselves better, and there could

eventually be less incidences of violence in adolescent boys (AG 1.3).