Thurber Delivers Assembly on Impulsive Risk-Taking at PEA

Associate Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Christopher Thurber delivered an assembly that addressed youth risk-taking behavior on Friday. Through subtle humor and interactive questions, Thurber discussed the reasons why young adults take impulsive risks, and how Exonians should safely think about and learn to avoid those risks.

 “Dr. Thurber brought up a good point about how our society judges us teenagers too quickly by the fact that our frontal lobes aren’t fully developed.”

Thurber outlined some examples of impulsive risk-taking and encouraged students to explain why people took those risks. Students identified “peer-pressure,” “curiosity” and “excitement in the spur-of-the-moment” as some factors that contribute to impulsive and risky behavior. However, Thurber stressed that while many are made impulsively, not all risky decisions are bad. Using examples of the inventions and work of Marie Curie and Alfred Nobel, he explained that people can learn a great deal through their mistakes. “We can’t stop taking risks, but we have to think more about those risks,” he said.Thurber said that Exeter students, as adolescents, are naturally inclined to take risks.“It’s actually a good thing that adolescents take risks,” he said. “It’s what makes you intellectually curious.” He emphasized that adolescent risk-taking is a valuable way to prepare for life as an adult, but he cautioned against taking risks that could end up hurting oneself or others.Thurber introduced the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) as a way that the school can determine whether students are taking healthy or dangerous risks. The survey, which was administered to students last year and will be again this year, assesses six types of risky behaviors, including sexual activity, eating disorders and alcohol, drug and tobacco use, which are leading causes of death and disability among young adults. Thurber said that Exeter’s health department will inform students later this year of ways that the school can address any dangerous-risk areas of the survey where Exeter students, as a whole, show weakness.Thurber also introduced the two new interim directors of student well-being: Tina Sciocchetti and Jane Stapleton, who work with the department of Counseling and Psychological Services as a part of their on-campus work.The directors will “address sexual misconduct, assault, harassment and other misbehavior on campus” and “push bystanders to take action against misbehavior for a respectful environment,” Thurber said. Sciocchetti will work to improve policies and procedures related to sexual assault and misconduct, while Stapleton will work to educate students about sexual assault.Students thought the speech was effective in inspiring Exonians to take more healthy risks. “I think this speech will encourage people to take smart risks, like auditioning for groups, or trying out for sports that they’ve never played before,” lower Michaela Phan said. Some thought that the speech could even apply to speaking up at the Harkness table.“The speech had a universal application,” lower Yaseen Ahmed said. “It relates to Harkness … not being afraid to take a risk and say something that might sound stupid, because it could actually add to the conversation.”Most thought the speech was especially relevant to high-achieving Exeter students.“Everyone at Exeter is put under a lot of pressure to be the best,” prep Sam Weil said. “I think the speech’s idea of a growth mindset and that making mistakes is normal could be helpful in relieving that pressure.”Phan agreed with Weil. “A lot of people here feel the pressure to ‘not make mistakes’ because when they come to Exeter, they’re good at things,” she said. “They’re afraid of making mistakes and being wrong, but it’s ok to make mistakes. The message was: Don’t be embarrassed of your mistakes, just learn from them.”Some students were already familiar with the idea of careful risk-taking that Thurber presented.“I myself am already a risk-taker, I feel, coming to a boarding school,” prep Johan Martinez said. “So, I definitely feel like [the speech] was relatable, and it made sense to me.”Some students drew parallels between Thurber’s speech and the recent discussions about sexual assault on campus in their reaction to the assembly. Upper Anzi DeBenedetto said, “In our current situation at Exeter, with all the talk of sexual misconduct, thinking before acting is pretty important risk management.”Upper Molly Canfield also thought that Thurber’s assembly was pertinent to Exeter’s ongoing dialogue about sexual climate. “I thought that [the speech] was really interesting, especially with all of the discussions that have been going on about sexual assault on campus ... in many ways this just kind of ties into that,” Canfield said.Furthermore, DeBenedetto thought Thurber’s speech would strengthen discussion of healthy risk-taking between teens and adults.“Dr. Thurber brought up a good point about how our society judges us teenagers too quickly by the fact that our frontal lobes aren’t fully developed,” DeBenedetto said. “That quick judgement gets in the way of teen-to-adult conversations, which are often defensive, rather than accepting. We don’t need criticism, but more understanding of our naturally impulsive ways.”In the closing of his speech, Thurber quoted a famous line from John Phillips’ Deed of Gift for the Academy, stating that one of the school’s purposes is “to learn them [students] the great end and real business of living.” Thurber said that taking risks is one of the ways that students prepare themselves for the “real world” outside of the Exeter bubble. “The more we embrace our natural curiosity, the more we become our best selves,” he said.