Talking Stick - January/February 2018 - 50

TALKING STICK: The book explores
how rules based on zero tolerance
stances are ineffective at changing
behavior, but programs that teach
decision-making are more effective.
What are the hallmarks of successful
educational outreach on decisionmaking, and who is best positioned to
make that outreach? Is it peers, staff,
faculty?
SHATKIN: Peers often make for very ef-

fective educators (as stated earlier), but
staff and faculty have a real role here as
well. Decision-making is tough to teach,
but it's possible, and it's part of what
we focus on in all aspects of education, even when we discuss calculus
and Shakespeare. Even better, we now
know that we can enhance resilience
directly, and we can help students to
learn about their own brains, how they
think, and how they make decisions.
The curriculum includes some of the
things I've already mentioned: teaching
habit formation, neuroscience, sleep,
mindfulness, and so on.
Courses on positive psychology, for
example, are springing up all over the
nation and are very popular among
students. They want to know how to
increase their well-being, and they're
increasingly motivated to enhance
their strengths and practice things like
mindfulness and gratitude. Only about
100 colleges and universities nationwide have a course on sleep, and virtually no high schools teach about sleep.
Can you imagine? I mean, we spend
about one-third of our lives sleeping,
but we never learn anything about it.
But we know tons about sleep, and
my group and others have shown that
when we teach college students about
sleep, they actually sleep better. And
better sleep is a recipe for improved
happiness, less stress and depression, and better decision-making, so
we need to take a broad look at what
we're teaching and begin to enhance
strengths wherever we can.

TALKING STICK

. . . THE
EVOLUTION OF
THE ADOLESCENT
BRAIN IS
AFFECTED BY
PHYSIOLOGICAL
FACTORS, SUCH
AS HORMONES,
BUT ALSO BY
EXTERNAL
FACTORS SUCH AS
PEER PRESSURE
AND INCREASED
SCREEN TIME
WITH A VARIETY
OF ELECTRONIC
STIMULI.
TALKING STICK: Research shows that
adolescents believe their likelihood of
being negatively impacted by a decision is lessened when they have some
personal way of avoiding the consequences (i.e., they can handle driving
while drunk), which is key in understanding how adolescents - especially
college students - make decisions.
What strategies are most effective
in proactively disrupting this way of
thinking?
SHATKIN: There are some students
who have an optimistic bias and
believe that they do certain things that
protect them from risk, things that
others don't think to do. But we know
that adults engage in just as much
optimistic bias as do adolescents, so
it doesn't really explain much about
why adolescents take risks. For those
who have this sort of bias, it does help
to make it clear to them how dangerous some of their behaviors are - and

the focus here is, again, "once is all it
takes." That is, there are certain things
that you just can't entirely come back
from so easily: getting into an auto accident, being jailed, getting pregnant,
and so on.
So the approach is not "Don't overdo it," because that only encourages
people to weigh the risks and benefits
at the moment they're facing a risk,
which leads to a greater likelihood that
they will make and justify a bad decision. You need young people to think,
for example, that having unprotected
sex results in pregnancy, and that's too
disruptive to your life, so it's sex with
a condom or no sex (not "just pull out
in time"). Or it's drive sober, or you
take an Uber or a taxi, if you've had
even one drink - no exceptions. This
sort of all-or-none thinking can be very
protective in these situations.
TALKING STICK: The definition of
adolescence has changed over time,
and now traditional-age college
students (ages 18-26) are categorized as late stage adolescents. You
note in the book that this extended
adolescence may provide greater
intellectual flexibility and potential.
At the same time, higher education
continues to ask students to make
audacious decisions, such as committing to a career plan by declaring
a major or course of study. How will
these seemingly conflicting frameworks impact individuals both short
and long term during their progressive development?
SHATKIN: I think it's important to

remember that rarely does a college
major determine a student's future.
I was a history major, and yet I'm a
physician. Most of my doctor friends,
in fact, weren't science majors. If you
know what you want to study and that
will lead to your desired career, as you
might in engineering, for example,
then great; but if you don't know, then

IF THE COOL STUDENTS ARE
JOGGING AND GETTING THEIR
SCHOOL WORK DONE AND WORKING
ON THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OR AT THE
LOCAL CAFÉ, THOSE BEHAVIORS BECOME
ENVIABLE AND MODELED.
I always just advise students to study
the subjects they enjoy. They will
do better in school and find it more
fulfilling.
These days there are few college
degrees that prepare us for specific
jobs; generally, you still need on-thejob training or an advanced degree for
most specialized positions. So, do what
you like; you will continue to wonder
and to think broadly about the world,

and this will lead you to be a more
creative and innovative adult, bringing
your college studies and experiences
to bear on whatever field you finally
choose. 
Stacy Oliver-Sikorski is the associate director
of residence life for student success at Lake
Forest College in Illinois.

 oliver@mx.lakeforest.edu

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JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2018

Talking Stick - January/February 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - January/February 2018