Stress as a way of life for adolescents? Pre-testing the Lipman-Rogers methodʹs impact on the HPA axis on a social brain hypothesis assumption

Stress can be a real problem for adolescence, even a way of life, especially related to academic standards that influence the self-concept under construction in this stage of personality developement. When becomes chronic, stress can determine a vulnerability for mood desorders that have a rising incidence among teenagers. And unfortunately the teacher can be a stressor or a stress catalyst that induces pressure directly or by enhancing excessive competition in the group or in the classroom. I hypothesize that he Lipman-Rogers method of teaching, as an innovative pedagogical facilitating interaction, reduces stress by the empathy of the teacher and the construction of a democratic cooperative group. I analyse the neurobiological basis and implications of this method measuring psychological variables and salivary cortisol concentration of a mixt group of adolescents under the experimental condition of this special interaction. As a preliminary study the aim is to describe my teaching method and to sketch an analysis of the neurobiological mecanism that makes this interaction possible and for this rason I use the HPA axis as a particular element of a bigger picture: a socioneuropsychoendocrinology of the pedagogical interaction under the social brain hypothesis assumption.

Author(s): Valentin Ionescu

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