Negotiating the transition from dependence on parents to relative independence is not a unique demand for today's youth but has a long evolutionary history (transmission) and is shared across mammalian species (translation). However, behavioral changes observed during this period are often described as delinquent. This review examines changes in explorative and emotive behaviors during the transition into and out of adolescence and the underlying neurobiological bases in the context of adaptive and maladaptive functions.