Adolescent behavior

Ssebunnya C. Ssennyonjo

Session objectives

• To understand the adolescence stage of human growth and development

• To identify and account for adolescent behavior.

• To identify and account for risky behavior that adolescents engage in.

• To identify and discuss the adolescents’ likes and dislikes.

Guiding questions

• What is adolescence and who is an adolescent? • How do adolescents behave and why?• What risky behaviors do adolescents

engage in and why?• What do adolescents like and dislike?

What is adolescence?

What is adolescence?

What is adolescence?• Adolescence is one of the stages of human of human growth.

Ideally, a human being grows through Infancy: birth to 1 year, Early childhood: 1-6 years, Late childhood: 6-12 years, Adolescence: 12-20 years, Early adulthood: 20-40 years, Middle adulthood: 40-65 years, Late adulthood: 65 years and up.

• However, The World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescents (or teenagers) as people in the age range of 10-19. Young people aged 10-14 years are defined as being in their early adolescence, and those aged 15-19 in their late adolescence.

(WHO Coming of age: from facts to action for adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Geneva, World Health Organization 1997 (document WHO/FRH/ADH/97.1)

Continuation…

• The Uganda National Adolescent Health Policy uses the same definitions. In this programme, the term adolescents is used in the same way: it refers to the age group of the 10-19-year olds.

• Adolescence is the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood.

Changes in adolescence

• What changes do human beings go through during adolescence?

1.…………………………………………………………………2.…………………………………………………………………3.………………………………………………………………….4.………………………………………………………………….5.………………………………………………………………….6.…………………………………………………………………..7.…………………………………………………………………..

Changes in adolescence

• Like all in the other stages of growth and development, during this period the person goes through Mental, Emotional, Physical and Social changes

• However, the physical and psychological changes that occur in adolescence can start earlier, during the preteen or "tween" years (ages 9-12).

Mental (mind development)

• Most foundations have been set.• Development primarily involves an

increase in knowledge and sharpening of skills. • Learn to make decisions and accept

responsibility for actions

Emotional (feelings)• Emotional development is often stormy and in conflict. • Adolescents try to establish their identities and

independence. • They respond more and more to peer group influences• Their emotions can be very unpredictable and it may be

hard to know what makes them happy and what annoys them.

• They are prone to mood swings, especially the girls, and are very impulsive.

• Sympathy for the opposite sex.

Physical (body growth)• Growth spurts, muscle coordination slows. Development of

sexual organs and secondary sexual characteristics (puberty). Secretion of sex hormones leads to the onset of menstruation in girls and the production of sperm and semen in boys. Body shape and form changes.

• Pubic hair in both• Beards in boys• Voices deepen in boys and the girls’ become softer• The sweat glands secret more sweat. • Pimples start to be visible in many.• Hips and breasts become bigger in girls• Chests become broader in boys

Social (interactions and relationships with others)

• Spending less time with family and more time with peer groups.

• They attempt to develop self-identity and independence and seek security from their peers.

• Toward the end of this stage they develop a more mature attitude and develop patterns of behavior that they associate with adult behavior.

• Need for reassurance, support and understanding.• Social networking is common today. • Challenges that develop in this stage can be

traced to conflict and feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.

Puberty

Boys girls

Note…

• These changes occur in both males and females.• Each have their own unique changes though

some are traceable in both males and females. Eg: pubic hairs, warm feelings for the opposite sex…

• However, the physical and psychological changes that occur in adolescence can start earlier, during the preteen or "tween" years (ages 9-12).

How do adolescents behave and why?

What is behavior? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How do adolescents behave and why?

What is behavior? Behavior is the way in which a person acts or conducts himself and responds especially towards others.

How do adolescents behave and why?

Behavior

1. …………………………………………2. …………………………………………3. …………………………………………4. …………………………………………5. …………………………………………6. …………………………………………7. …………………………………………8. …………………………………………9. …………………………………………10. …………………………………………

Reason for behavior 1. ……………………………………….2. ………………………………………..3. …………………………………………4. …………………………………………5. ………………………………………..6. ………………………………………..7. ………………………………………..8. …………………………………………9. …………………………………………10. …………………………………………

How do adolescents behave and why? Behavior Reason for behavior

• They challenge authority •They feel they are old enough and do not need authority. •Desire for independence.

• They are conscious of themselves •They are aware of their own presence and want to be in position to attract attention.

• They hate being called adolescents or being told that they have grown

•They are still establishing who they are and this can be quite challenging. •They are under identity crisis.

• The become very emotional (especially the girls)

•The hormonal imbalance mainly. •Seeking attention•Wanting to get what they want.

•They seek attention most of the time and it hurts when they feel they have not been noticed.

•They want their beauty and importance to be noticed and felt.

How do adolescents behave and why? Behavior Reason for behavior

• They are very impulsive •Because of the hormones mainly. They are not yet used to certain things. They hate being called and treated as old but they also don’t want to be taken as young.

•They are covetous and will admire many of the things they feel are good. At this stage they are fond of borrowing clothes from friends.

•They now feel it is time to have the ‘good’ things that other people have.

•They like to be in company of the opposite sex

•They feel it is time to start boy-girl relationships. They like to be praised and to praise the opposite sex.

•They take chances •They act before thinking.

•………………………………………………………………. •…………………………………………………………………..

•…………………………………………………………………. •……………………………………………………………………

In their own view…

We talked to some adolescents and this is what they said

What risky behavior do adolescents engage in?

• What is a risk? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A risk…• A situation involving exposure to danger, such as

injury, loss, death...

Why they behave that way

• The scientific explanation

What risky behavior do adolescents engage in?

1. Watching pornography 2. Escaping from school 3. …………………………………………………………4. …………………………………………………………5. ………………………………………………………...6. ………………………………………………………….7. ………………………………………………………….8. ………………………………………………………….9. ………………………………………………………….10. ………………………………………………………….11. ………………………………………………………….12. ………………………………………………………….

Boy girl relationships and drug abuse

Boy girl relationships Drug abuse

Use of beauty products and slimming

Use of beauty products Slimming

Rape and abortion

Rape Abortion

Unprotected sex and physical fighting

Sexual intercourse Physical fighting

Petty theft and Clubbing

Petty theft Clubbing

Views from elsewhere…

Why do adolescents engage in such behavior?

1. Peer pressure2. ……………………………………………….3. ……………………………………………….4. ……………………………………………….5. ……………………………………………….6. ……………………………………………….7. ……………………………………………….8. ……………………………………………….9. ……………………………………………….10. ……………………………………………….

Why do adolescents engage in such behavior?

• Peer pressure• Belief in myths• Desire to experiment• Feeling of maturity and independence• Trying to relieve stress or anxiety• Escape from emotional or psychological problems• Desire to be unique • Lack of information on risks involved in certain

behavior

Continuation…

• Seeking “instant gratification”• Hereditary traits or cultural influences• Call for attention• Depression• Grief over a loss or love affair• Failure in school• Inability to meet expectations• Lack of self-esteem

What do adolescents like and dislike?

We talked to some adolescents and this is what they said

What do adolescents like and dislike?

• They like fashion and they pay attention to what they wear. In school, they make their uniforms smaller to fit or shorter, for the girls.

• They like to be heard and show that they are responsible beings • They like dream a lot (see what they would like to be)• They like criticize a lot (both their age mates and those outside their

age brackets) • They like to live in gangs for identity. • they like to speak American English and their own language or slang

and jargon • They like independence and freedom to do what they want.

Hanging out and interacting with friends

Cool things

They like experimentation

Social Networking and fashion

Social Networking Fashion

They like behave like famous people or celebrities

What do adolescents dislike?

• They dislike any kinds of embarrassment.• They dislike punishment and retribution.• They dislike authority.• They hate being treated like children.• They dislike being home all the time.• They dislike company of elders.• They dislike fellow adolescents who manage to get more

attention than them. • They may dislike the things that other adolescents like for

the sake of being unique.

Now that we know what adolescents like and dislike, we as peer educators how should we pass on information to them?

The End

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