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(Applause)

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Hello, everyone.

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As previously mentioned,
I'm Andrew Pendergast,

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as you've probably already guessed.

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Today I'm going to be talking
with you about something

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that potentially concerns a large number
of you in this room today,

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and from what I've gathered
from conversations and observations,

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the remainder of the world:

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Responsibility,
particularly in adolescents.

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Alright, we're going to be doing
some crowd participation here.

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So, raise your hand if you believe
that you're a responsible individual.

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Alright, now keep your hand
up if you're an adolescent.

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Alright, you can put your hands down.

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Now, put your hands up

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if you believe that, generally,
adolescents as a whole are responsible.

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(Laughter)

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That's what I thought.

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We'll see if that changes at all
over the course of this talk

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as we delve further into the necessity
of adolescent responsibility,

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and how we can take steps towards that.

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Now, responsibility is defined as, one,
the state or fact of being responsible.

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Don't you just love how
our dictionary works?

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Two, an instance of being responsible.

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Three, a particular burden of obligation
upon one who is responsible.

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Four, something for which
one is responsible for.

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And five, reliability or dependability.

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Now, essentially all these definitions
can be condensed into two basic meanings:

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firstly, being accountable for something
that one has been given league of,

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and secondly, being
reliable or dependable.

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Generally, society accepts the
first definition of responsible:

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answerable or accountable for something
within one's power or control.

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Seeing as this is the definition

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that we as a society
have chosen to define responsible,

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this shall be the definition I will
be using for the remainder of this talk.

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So, let's get started.

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Is responsibility
a truly universal concept?

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Now, one would believe
that accountability was necessary

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in the first civilizations
for them to grow.

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If somebody didn't do
what they were supposed to do,

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how in the world could
the society advance?

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As children aged into adolescence,
they were given a real responsibility

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in their community that would aid
in the development of said community.

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This taught them both, how they were
to be responsible by their elders,

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and gave them a more
concrete understanding

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of the concept of responsibility.

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Now, before we dig into
how we can actually get to a point

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where we have entirely
responsible adolescents,

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I've noticed that society generally
has come to the conclusion

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that there's a possible option
for a failure of a responsibility.

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I think we need to clear that up.

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Going by the definition of responsible,
which is being answerable or accountable

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for something within
one's power of control.

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If somebody's given a job
and that job is a success,

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sure, plain and simple,
they've completed their responsibility.

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Now, let's say that job's a failure.

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As long as they're
being held accountable for it,

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they're still being responsible.

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I've noticed how society has generally
thrown this to the wayside,

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so I'd like you to keep that in mind
for the remainder of this talk,

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and when you go back out
into your daily lives.

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Now, responsibility takes many
different forms for each person.

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Obviously the responsibilities
of a student and of a worker

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are going to vary greatly.

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However, the key concepts
that underlie responsibility

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are common for each person:

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trust, expectation, and comprehension.

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So, we've defined the necessary aspects
for responsibility to exist and flourish

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for both, adolescents and adults.

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As previously stated, there's the trust

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that one will uphold the aspect
of the agreement that applies to them.

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Expectation for those given responsibility
is to be held accountable,

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and comprehension of the situation
and elements involved.

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As responsibility is built on the contract
that one will be held accountable,

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the trust that one person will uphold
their portion of the agreement

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is the epitome of the social phenomena
called responsibility.

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Now, for responsibility to really exist,

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there must be an expectation
for the one given a responsibility

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to be held accountable
for what they have been requested to do.

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One major aspect of this
is that consequences must be present

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for expectations to truly
hold any meaning,

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and therefore, for
responsibilities to be upheld.

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Lastly, a comprehension of both,

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what the expectations of the one
who is given the responsibility are

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and the trust that exists

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between those in the social contract
of responsibility must be present.

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These three key aspects
for responsibility to exist

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must be kept in mind,
particularly as I dissect

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the needs of the adolescents
in order for us to develop

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into the fully responsible
members of society

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that we are growing up to be.

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Now, adolescents require
certain stimuli from society

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in order to assist
in the development of responsibility

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through the entirety of brain development.

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For instance, as previously mentioned,

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as adolescents begin to develop
their prefrontal cortex,

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wherein lies the capacity
of decision-making,

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they strive for an increased
amount of responsibility

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so that they can fill their brain

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with the complete understanding
of responsibility,

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giving them a more dynamic view
of this newly formed concept.

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This can be observed,
as I'm sure you've all noticed,

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as early adolescents wish for
increased amounts of freedom

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in return for the responsibility

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that they will be held accountable
for their actions.

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And if an adolescent wishes not to be
held accountable for what they do,

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they simply have that freedom removed.

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That's where the consequences come in.

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This prepares the very foundation

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for the successful implementation
of responsibility

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into young adolescent life.

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In addition to the increased amount
of freedom and consequences

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that adolescents must be given
to nurture responsible members of society,

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these adolescents, in order to form
a strong basis for responsibility,

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must be given a meaningful
position in society.

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This results in not only the creation
of the sense of community involvement

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that is an apparent necessity
in the development of an adolescent mind,

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but also offers the adolescent
a better vantage point

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from which they can
understand responsibility

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and how it plays into everyday life.

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Overall, although these examples
do not entirely complete

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the needs of adolescents,
this essentially condenses the list

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into three specific elements
that can be internally separated

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in order to allow for a more complete
understanding of these needs.

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Once again, these are trust,
expectations, and comprehension.

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Now, early adolescence is a
particularly crucial period

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in the development of autonomy,
including responsibility and self-control,

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As seen in a study
done in Michigan in 1987

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with 174 adolescents and their guardians,

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the development of responsibility
in the tested adolescents

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was directly correlated between gender
and parental employment status.

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This study demonstrated that in families
with one parent who was not employed,

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the adolescents had a tendency
to be more responsible.

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This concludes that the concept
of responsibility

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is taught from elders of society,
as I previously hypothesized.

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This experiment also discovered
that females of early adolescence

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generally were more responsible
than their male counterparts.

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This can be attributed to the fact

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that the female brain
develops slightly early in adolescence--

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slightly earlier
in adolescence than males,

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and thus, the sections of the brain

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that are involved in the development
of a sense of responsibility

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are more complete than those with males.

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As responsibility in adolescence
has been partially defined

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through the scientific aspect
of the concept,

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the quintessential component
of the development

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of adolescent responsibility
is the adolescent itself.

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As the adolescent grows,
they will begin to crave responsibility.

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But what can adolescents
really be responsible for?

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Now, I can imagine
that in all of your lives

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you have things for which
you were responsible,

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namely, your family,
your job, and yourself.

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Those are the aspects of society

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that a full-grown member
can truly be responsible for.

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Now, adolescents are
responsible for themselves.

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That's just the biological imperative,

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that one will live as long as one can

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so that one can pass on
their genetic makeup

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and influence society as they see fit.

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You may notice that a good portion
of adolescents do not have jobs.

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Now, seemingly,

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that would take the second point
of responsibility in society go to moot.

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Education replaces
the responsibility of having a job

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and must be treated the same way
as if you had a job.

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The family unit and the social unit
are where the responsibilities

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of an adolescent
and an adult differs greatly.

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The responsibilities of an adult
in social situations is simple:

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Be aware of those around you
and influence them as you see fit.

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Similarly, the social
responsibilities of adolescents

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revolve around the caring
for those around you

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and influencing them in the way
that you view to be correct.

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However, this responsibility
in adolescents

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has much more impact
as the development of self-identification

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is most prominent during
this stage of development.

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Now, for an adult, the responsibilities
of a family is also simple:

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Keep those whom you love
and/or share your genetic makeup

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safe from harm,
and teach them to be self-reliant.

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Now, this is where it
really begins to differ.

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For an adolescent,
their responsibility in the family unit

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is to learn from their parents

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and assist those around
them to do the same.

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At face value, this may seem as though

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there's very little difference
in the responsibility of the adult

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and of the adolescent in the family unit.

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However, as the adult
is responsible for other people,

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the adolescent is dependent
upon other people.

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Yes, the adolescent is responsible
for him or herself,

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but he or she is also cared for
by another being,

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being taught responsibility
in the process.

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This is the sole reason

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that adolescents are able to develop
into responsible members of society.

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The differentiation between adult
and adolescent responsibilities

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in the family unit,
at the very essence of it,

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allows for responsibility
in society to exist.

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This allows for the
nurturing of responsibility

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through the ageless relationship
of master and apprentice.

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As an adult teaches an adolescent
the concepts of responsibility,

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the adolescent develops
a better understanding

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of said concept,
and in turn, reaches for more.

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This allows for a continuous
development of responsible adults

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through the teaching of adolescents.

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Specifically, the nurturing
of responsibility in adolescents

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requires certain elements:

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the constant teaching and reminding
of the concept of responsibility

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through both, action and discussion.

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Two, the increase in responsibilities
in the life of the adolescent,

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as they develop a concrete
understanding of responsibility

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and acquire the necessary elements

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to obtain more responsibility
in their lives,

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and the cooperation
of both, adolescent and adult,

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resulting in the mutual comprehension

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of the necessity of the teaching
of responsibility

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to adolescents for society as a whole.

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Through the simple adhesion
to these necessary aspects

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for the development
of responsibility in adolescents,

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the development of a sense
of responsibility in the next generation

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and in every generation thereafter
will be improved,

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resulting in the allowance
for societal growth.

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Now, let's focus on the second aspect

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necessary for the development
of responsibility in adolescents:

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the increase in responsibility
given to adolescents

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as they continue to acquire more
knowledge pertaining to responsibility.

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We're able to specifically locate examples
for each and every adolescent

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in their life through which
they can be responsible for.

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I, for instance, enjoy the responsibility
of getting my school work done,

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keeping myself healthy,

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and insuring that I am performing
to the best of my abilities

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in each endeavor that I perform.

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This doesn't paint a mold
for each adolescent in society,

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and to locate the exact
instances, listen to this.

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It takes time, patience,
and experimentation with the results

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of different responsibilities
and the outcomes thereof.

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Stemming directly from that,
both adolescents and society

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need to partake an active role

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in the development
of responsible adolescents.

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Society needs to abide
by these necessary elements

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for responsibility to grow and be present
in the journey of responsibility

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for each and every adolescent in society.

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Adolescents need to be aware
of this assistance

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that they're being offered,
and take advantage of such assistance

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in order to develop an increased
sense of responsibility

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that they will pass on
to the next generation.

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Adolescents also need to attempt

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to increase their own levels
of responsibilities

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within their family units
and their social groups,

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allowing for a dynamic
growth of responsibility.

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I believe that each member of society
has an important role

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in the development
of responsible adolescents,

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and though there is a large amount
of work to be done,

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the development
of responsibility in adolescents

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is a necessary
and obtainable aspect of society.

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Though you may view us
now as a shadow of today,

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tomorrow we will be the light
of the future.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)