What Particular Challenges do Adolescents Face?
o Learn to say NO
1. Attitude and Behavior Towards Sexuality and Sexual
Relationships
a. Puberty drives the adolescent to experience
urges of sexual desire which often lead them
to experimentation and exploration.
b. The attitude of being RESPONSIBLE for
one’s actions is the guiding principle
towards a healthy sexual relationships.
c. Being RESPONSIBLE also implies that
entering into relationship is all about
genuine loving and caring for the other
person, not just to satisfy one’s urges and
needs which can lead to bigger problems.
d. The adolescent is also prone to exploring
pornography, which usually starts out of
curiosity.
e. It is natural to feel way “into the hormones”
but do not forget that the hormones and the
sensations that come with them are not only
things that make you human. You also have
your free-willed, logical circuit-your
personal human mind
2. Academic concerns
a. The role of a student is the primary role of
an adolescent who is still in school.
b. Discipline, openness, perseverance,
diligence, excellence, curiosity, analytical
and critical thinking, memory,
understanding, cooperation and team work,
respecting other people's opinion and
beliefs, social interactions, leadership, and
fellowship are some of more important skills
and values that an adolescent student can
also learn in school.
c. There are times when the demands in school
can really be challenging.
d. Major reason why time management
problems occur:
i. Poor planning
ii. Lacking organizational skills,
delaying/procrastinating
iii. Low need for achievement
3. Group Belongingness/Relationships
a. An adolescent wants to belong.
b. There is an urge to seek a replacement of
their prior support system, this time in the
form of social groupings such as school
friends, memberships in organizations or
community.
c. This also includes peer challenges such as:
peer pressure and peer conflict.
d. It is always good to find people who
influence you in doing positive things.
 Peer pressure
o Avoid groups that ask you to do things that
are against your will
o Keep a good company
o Do not be afraid to talk to people when you
are dealing with peer pressure
 Peer conflict
o Make a commitment to resolve the problem
o Be clear with your intention of resolving the
conflict
o Stick with your facts
o Deal with anger and control it
4. Health and Nutrition
a. A healthy mind and body is what every
adolescent (and everybody else) should
strive for.
b. However, since adolescents are gifted with
of much energy that seems inexhaustible,
resulting in abuse of one’s body and mind.
c. Learn to listen to your body
5. Developing or Regaining Self-Esteem
a. Adolescents who are creating their SELF-
IDENTITY should be objective and balance
when viewing themselves.
b. When it comes to identity development, it
was said that if we were to force an apple to
be skillful in becoming an orange, we cannot
expect it to succeed.
c. You need to know your gender orientation
personally.
d. Adolescents at this stage are very self-
conscious, and often view themselves as
unattractive, lacking the kind of physical
look that is often dictated by the advertising
and image businesses.
e. The healthy thing for adolescents is to
understand that there is such a thing as body
types and their genes dictate each body type.
6. Roles
a. Adolescents must learn to integrate all these
roles and it should be clear that these roles
are related to the tasks expected of them by
others.
b. The healthy adolescent will recognize not
merely the roles but the VALUES being
expected from him/her such as personal and
family responsibility, love for family and
basic survival
7. Family Expectations
a. Often the problems stems from wanting to
establish identity and independence on the
part of the child, and the desire of parents to
continuously give guidance and protection
to their children.
b. It can’t be helped that parents set certain
rules at home, assign roles and chores to do,
curfews, and even make a choice of
company you should go with.
8. Career Choice
 a. The adolescent who is creating identity for o It means that a person wants to
himself is faced with an urgent need to inflict harm to other people,
identify what course to take in college and through physical or psychological.
establish a career path for the future. o They are also avoid manipulators,
b. Adolescents need to know what their getting what they want to the cost
interests are, what things they find exciting, of another.
and what their skills are.  DELINQUENCY BEHAVIOR
c. Be ready to make sacrifices before you can o If an adult is manipulative or overly
attain the kind of wealth and fame that may aggressive, it might mean that this
come in doing what you love to do. adolescent was raised similarly.
9. Values, Beliefs and Behaviors o Delinquency and anti-social
 Imaginary Audience behaviors are beyond the managing
o The adolescent believe on having skills of adolescents. It requires
an IMAGINARY AUDIENCE - professional psychotherapeutic aid,
that a group of followers exist to the peers being the support group.
consciously watch and judge their
every move, verbalization, and
public or private behavior.
o It would amplify certain moods,
which can explain the moodiness of
some teenagers.
 PERSONAL FABLE
o An adolescent belief that he or she
is highly special and unlike anyone
else who has ever walked the earth.
o The adolescent thinks that because
others could be so obviously
amazed by him or her, he or she
must be a very distinct brand of
human.
 IMPULSIVITY
o Psychologically, because of
personable fable and the adolescent
predisposition, to please one’s
social circle or someone’s object of
admiration, one would be inclined
to be impulsive into going headfirst
to particular three seeking
behaviors for the ultimate goal of
being “cool.”
 RISK-TAKING OR THRILL-SEEKING
BEHAVIOR
o Hormonically, the euphoric hit of
adrenaline amplifies athleticism
and others strenuous activities.
o These lead to sexual behaviors that
may be maladaptive, unwise and
detrimental.
o Thrill-seekers and excessive risk-
takers need to slow themselves
down. Its like a flame burning so
large and furious but so fast.
 ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
o “Anti-social” doesn’t mean that a
person hates to socialize, is a kill
joy, or is a loner.