Adolescence and Social Behavior
In order for us to have a clear
understanding on how a person
develops, let’s take a look at these
two developmental theories that
focuses on family process and
psychosocial development.
John Santrock’s 8 Developmental
Stages
According to John Santrock there are
8 developmental stages in a life span
development. His research focuses
on family processes and children
psychosocial development. The
following are the stages of
development:
Prenatal Period
● Development happens quickly
during this stage
(tremendous growth from a single
cell to an organism complete with
brain and behavioral capabilities)
● Time between conception and
birth
● Divided into 3 stages: -germinal -
embryonic –fetal
Infancy
● Birth to 18-24 months
● Time of extreme dependence on
adults
● Many psychological activities are
just beginning (language, symbolic
thought, sensory-motor
coordination & social learning)
Early Childhood
● End of infancy to 5-6 years old
(pre-school years-grade 1)
● Young children learn to
become more self- sufficient and
care for themselves, develop school
readiness skills and spend many
hours in play with peers
Middle & Late Childhood
● 6-11 years old (elementary school
years)
● Fundamental skills of reading,
writing, and arithmetic are mastered
● Child is formally exposed to larger
world and its culture
● Achievement becomes a more
central theme of the child’s world
and self-control increases.
Adolescence
● 10-12 years old to 18-22 years old
● Begins with rapid physical changes
(dramatic gains in height in weight,
changes in body contour,
and development of sexual
characteristics such as enlargement
of breasts, development of pubic
and facial hair, deepening of voice)
● Pursuit of independence & identity
are prominent
● Thought is more logical, abstract &
idealistic
● More time is spent outside family
Early Adulthood
● Late teens or early 20s to 30s
● Time of establishing personal &
economic
independence, career development,
selecting a mate,
learning to live with someone in an
intimate way, starting a
family & rearing child.
Middle Adulthood
● 40 to 60 years old time of
expanding personal &
social involvement & responsibility
● Assisting next generation in
becoming competent &
mature individuals, reaching &
maintaining satisfaction in a
career
Late Adulthood
● 60s and above
● Time for adjustment to decreasing
strength and health, life review,
retirement and adjustment to new
social roles.
Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial
Developmental Stages
According to Erik Erikson, an
individual’s life and development
may be divided into eight stages
each with different conflicts or crises
that must be resolved. Failure to
resolve the conflict will subsequently
affect future stages.
These stages are border-less and
flowing, not strictly fixed and
definite. An adolescent may
experience intimacy issues (young
adulthood) or may still be struggling
with his identity confusion
(adolescence).
(STAGE- AGE- CONFLICT- FAVORABLE
RESULTS-UNFAVORABLE RESULTS-
INFLUENCE)
Infancy
●Birth to 18 months
●Trust vs. Mistrust
●being able to trust others when
primary caregiver (parents/mother)
was able to provide love, care, and
attention
●Mistrusting or withdrawal
● Parents
Early Childhood
●18 months to 3 years old
●Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
●develop self-control physical skills
with independence while not losing
self-esteem
●compulsive self-restraint or
compliance
●Parents
Late Childhood
●3 years old to 5 years old
●Initiative vs. Guilt
●learns that being purposeful and
assertive can affect the
environment; develops a sense of
purpose
●when using too much power and
control, might experience
disapproval resulting in lack of self-
confidence and feelings of guilt; fear
of being wrongly judged
●Parents and Teachers
School Age
● 6 to 12 years old
●Industry vs. Inferiority
●develops a sense of competence
and perseverance; learns how to
cope with the demands of school
and environment
●loss of hope; withdrawal from
peers and school; a sense of
mediocrity and feelings of
inferiority
● Parents and Teachers
Adolescence
●12 to 20 years old
●Identity vs. Role Confusion
●develops a sense of Self and
identity; plans to actualize one's
abilities; develops the ability to stay
true to oneself
●weak sense of self; feelings of
confusion, indecisiveness, and anti-
social behavior
●Teachers and Significant Others
Young Adulthood
●20 to 25 years old
● Intimacy vs. Isolation
●develops a strong need for love,
commitment, and affection; the
need for intimate loving
relationships; commitment;
develops strong relationships
●impersonal, weak relationships;
avoidance of relationships, career,
or lifestyle commitments; isolation
and loneliness
●Friends
Adulthood
●25 to 60 years old
●Generativity vs. Stagnation
●creates and nurtures things that
would outlast them; creativity,
legacy, a feeling of usefulness,
accomplishment, and concern for
others
●shallow involvement in the world;
pessimism; self-indulgence; lack of
interests and commitments
●Community
Maturity / Old Age
●60 years old to death
● Integrity vs. Despair
● sense of fulfillment and
accomplishment; wisdom;
acceptance of uniqueness and
worth; acceptance of death
● sense of loss and contempt for
others; may result in bitterness,
regret, and despair
● Community
Adolescence: Identity vs. Role
Confusion
Identity is the concept of an
individual about himself and is often
referred to as “self-identity”, molded
through various interactive
experiences around himself, such as
their family and community, and his
responses in terms of thinking,
attitude, and behavior to external
stimuli. Role oftentimes forms part
of his self-identity, such as birth
order in the family, the nature of
work, occupation, or title, and
academic and social standing.
Identity is also influenced by how
others perceive an individual.
Role Confusion is the negation of
self-identity, in a sense that there is
confusion over one’s self- concept or
the absence or lack of such a
concept. Role confusion affects an
individual’s relationship with others
because there is no clear definition
of what he is and how he relates to
others.
Changes during Adolescence
The adolescent's physiological
transitioning is very pronounced at
this stage. These are some of the
changes experienced in
Adolescence:
1. Puberty kicks in and is fueled by
the hormonal changes that are
occurring and pushing the
adolescent toward sexual
maturation.
2. Cognitive growth among
adolescents is usually marked by the
way they can comprehend abstract
concepts, such as freedom and
human rights.
3. Beliefs about morality, religion,
and politics are also starting to
evolve.
4. They begin to ask questions about
the status quo, about the way things
happen, and usually counter
questions or situations with the
challenging question of, “why not?”
5. They become inclined towards the
idea of becoming very self-conscious
and ego-centric.
6. The reckless behavior of
adolescents is sometimes attributed
to the development of their brains
since their ability to make plans and
see the consequences of their
actions are not yet fully
developed.
7. Experimentation is a common
activity for adolescents as they
search for their identity.
8. They often express their
independence and assert their
unique selves through their clothing
and fashion styles.
9. Searching for social groups with
common interests have been their
way to validate their chosen identity.
10. Socialization among male and
female adolescents occurs in this
phase, most especially that we are in
a digital era through online
platforms.
11. Sexual experimentation also
happens in this stage. However, due
to their underdeveloped cognitive
and affective capacities and
education of the matter, this
experimentation sometimes ends up
in a disaster.
LESSON 5: DEVELOPMENT STAGES
IN THE MIDDLE AND LATE
ADOLESCENCE
TERMS:
● Beatnik movement - a media
stereotype prevalent throughout the
late 1940s, 1950s to mid-1960s that
displayed the more superficial
aspects of the Beat Generation
literary movement of the late 1940s
and early to mid-1950s;
● Hippie movement - also spelled
hippy, member, during the 1960s
and 1970s, of a countercultural
movement that rejected the mores
of mainstream American life. The
movement originated on college
campuses in the United States,
although it spread to other
countries, including Canada and
Britain.
● Millennial - anyone born between
1981 and 1996 (ages 24 to 39 in
2020)
● Selfie - an image that includes
oneself (often with another person
or as part of a group) and is taken
by oneself using a digital camera
especially for posting on social
networks
Adolescence and Social Behavior
“Every culture has a representation
of how their adolescent population
behaved over the decades.”
Look at this timeline:
●1950s - In United States, the term
“teenage rebellion” was popularized
with the beatnik movement at its
forefront. Filipino teenagers copied
their American counterparts. It was
the era of the “Lo-Waist Gang”,
where actors wore tight fitting jeans
and pompadour hairstyles slopped
with pomade.
●1960s and 1970s - It was the hippie
movement and the flower power
that became the trademark of the
generation of adolescents and young
adults. The use of psychedelic drugs
and other hypnotic substances were
popular. Filipino teenagers by that
time were amid the political turmoil
that dominated the Philippines
before and during martial law.
●1980s to early 2000s- Towards the
new millennium, adolescents born
from these years became known as
the “millennials”. This generation
was born in the midst of a great
technology boom; hence, they were
also referred to as “digital natives”
versus the previous generation who
were referred to as “digital
immigrants”, having migrated from
non-digital to digital technology.
●2000 to present - Today, a social
phenomenon has taken over the
world today and it is called the
“selfie” phenomenon. This created
an impact on the way young people
see themselves. The development of
the adolescent’s identity today is
being influences and molded by
technology.
Skills and Tasks Appropriate for
Middle and Late Adolescence
According to the American culture,
there are ten (10) developmental
tasks expected of adolescents:
1. Adjust to sexually maturing
bodies and feelings
● Being aware of the bodily changes,
managing sexual feelings, engaging
in healthy sexual behaviors;
establishing sexual identity and
developing skills for romantic sexual
relationships.
2. Develop and apply abstract
thinking skills
● Effectively understand and
coordinate abstract ideas, thinking
out possibilities, trying out theories,
planning, reflecting on how and
what they are thinking, and coming
out with own philosophies.
3. Develop and apply new
perspective on human relationships
● Developing compassion and
empathy, as well as being able to
look at matters from a different
perspective.
4. Develop and apply new coping
skills such as decision-making,
problem-solving, and conflict
resolution
● Develop new thinking capabilities
and capacity which allow for more
creative solutions and applications of
knowledge as well as handling
conflicts; ability to see the
consequences of their actions and
think of the future.
5. Identify meaningful moral
standards, values, and belief
systems
● Due to an adolescent’s idealism,
they start to develop their principles,
values, and virtues as well as a belief
system that directs their actions.
6. Understand and express more
complex emotional experiences
● Being able to identify and
understand the emotions arising
from certain situations happening
around them or they are involved in;
as adolescents become more aware
of and affected by the emotions
and feelings they are experiencing,
they should be able to
● Interpret and express them and
discern the necessary actions; being
able to detach themselves from
emotions/emotional situations if
ever the need arises.
7. Form friendships that are
mutually close and supportive
● Adolescents should be able to
form positive and healthy
relationships as their perspective on
human relations widen; as peer
influence is very influential in this
age, it should drive adolescents
toward productive relationships.
8. Establish key aspects of identity
● Develop their healthy self-concept
that reflects the uniqueness of the
individual in contrast with
others, family, and the bigger
community.
9. Meeting the demands of
increasingly mature roles and
responsibilities
● The emerging adult must be able
to acquire the skills and knowledge
as well as other competencies to be
able to handle the increasingly
difficult roles and responsibilities
expected to be given to the
adolescent.
10. Renegotiate relationships with
adults in parenting roles
● Since the age of adolescence is the
time wherein the individual moves
from dependency to independence,
individuals should be able to
communicate their changing needs
and preferences to their parents or
guardians so as not to cause conflict;
this is not pronounced in the
Philippines.
According to the Filipino context,
there are 14 developmental tasks for
Filipino adolescents:
1. Developing occupational skills
● Skills that can help the adolescent
develop responsibility for future
tasks, jobs, and responsibilities.
2. Self-reliance
● The ability to be able to determine
one’s skills, capabilities, and
competencies; this leads to being
able to rely on oneself for certain
tasks rather than rely on others
indiscriminately.
3. Ability to manage their finances
● Be able to determine their “needs”
and “wants” and be able to prioritize
whatever is deemed important.
4. Social responsibility
● Adolescents should be able to see
themselves as a part of a
community; they should be able to
see beyond themselves and see the
bigger picture, taking into
consideration other people and
the community in general.
5. Mature work orientation
● Develop pride and excellence in
their tasks and not settle for less.
6. Personal responsibility
● Adolescents should be able to take
and handle whatever the
repercussions and consequences of
their actions are; this is taking
responsibility for all decisions and
actions and not blaming them
on others.
7. Positive attitude toward work
● This means looking at their work
as an expression of love to
themselves, others, and the
community; on that mindset, the
attitude becomes positive as one
would not settle for anything
less if it pertains and would affect
themselves.
8. Being courageous in standing up
and being different from their
friends
● Adolescents have a strong drive
towards social belongingness, and
this becomes a major force for
their actions while this is important,
they should be able to stand up for
their own identity, opinions, and
preferences, not necessarily being
ruled by the decision of the mob or
group.
9. Developing self-esteem
● Learning to understand, accept
and appreciate oneself as a unique
person, avoiding comparing
oneself to others.
10. Being true to oneself and
avoiding the tendency to please
others
● Since belongingness is very
important to adolescents, they find
it hard to assert their individuality
out of fear that they might not be
accepted by their peers; as the
thought that they need to
please others lessen, so do their
desire to be able to please others
just so that they can belong in
the group.
11. Learning how media and
advertising are trying to influence
their thinking and feeling
● As adolescents become more open
to ideologies, they tend to be easily
affected and influenced by the things
around them as well as what they
see and hear; they need to be aware
how different things can influence
their thoughts and feelings and in
general, how they develop.
12. Becoming aware, critical, and
involved with social issues
● Adolescents should be aware of
and formulate their own opinions
regarding the social issues in
their community; however, aside
from this they should also do
something about it, thus being
involved.
13. Embracing a healthy lifestyle
● Being aware of the food they eat
and engaging in physical activities;
adolescents should be able to define
their meaning of health, and this
would direct what their lifestyle
would be.
14. Developing spirituality
● Discovering and determining what
gives their life and experiences
meaning; as principles,
consciousness, values, virtues, and
perspectives are being developed,
the meaning to their life is slowly
being defined and adolescence is
tasked.
LESSON 5: THE CHALLENGES OF
MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE
● Adolescence – the period of
transition between childhood and
adulthood. Children who are
entering adolescence are going
through many changes in physical,
intellectual, personality, and social
development.
● Attitude - refers to a set of
emotions, beliefs, and behaviors
toward a particular object, person,
thing, or event. Attitudes are often
the result of experience or
upbringing, and they can have a
powerful influence over behavior.
● Behavior - the actions that an
organism uses to adjust to and live
within its environment and how one
acts or conducts oneself, especially
toward others.
● Self-esteem - refers to an
individual's sense of his or her value
or worth, or the extent to which a
person values, approves of,
appreciates, prizes, or likes him or
herself.
● Relationship - any association
between persons, amounting to
mutual familiarity, mutual
awareness of one another's
identities, and meaningful
understanding of their relations to
one another.
● Belongingness - the human
emotional need to be an accepted
member of a group.
● Roles - a set of connected
behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs,
and norms as conceptualized by
people in a social situation. It is an
expected or free or continuously
changing behavior and may have a
given individual social status or
social position.
● Values – a person's principles or
standards of behavior; one's
judgment of what is important in
life.
● Belief - generally defined as
convictions that things held in the
mind are true.
Physiological Development
Challenges
*Concern for Body Image
There is a strong inclination for
teenagers, particularly those in
middle adolescence, to be conscious
of their physical image or body
figure. Body image is a person’s
perception of the physical aspects of
the self. It is how one perceives the
self in terms of the physical self-
projected to other people through
the body. This physical perception
about the self is associated with the
teens’ self-esteem and choice of
lifestyle. Their perception about
their body creates either positive or
negative feelings, which then
redound to either high or less self-
esteem. This also leads to good or
bad eating habits and physical
activities. The adolescents’
perception of their physical
attributes is prompted by many
environmental influences, including
social media, attitudes of peers,
current fad, and fashion trends.
According to the Raising Children
Network, with the Center for
Adolescent Health (2015), some
teens have a tendency to be
unhappy about their physical image
and are in danger of acquiring a bad
physical image if they:
● Have a physical defect or
incapacity
● Feel pressure from family or friend
who annoy or mock them about
their looks
● Have a different look or heavier
weight compared with the “ideal”
shapes adored by people or
propagated by the media
● Feel anxious about how others
perceive their physical appearance
● Have poor self-esteem
● Would like to have a perfect body
image
● Have bouts of depression because
of their looks
● Belong to a group, club, or
organization that emphasizes a
certain body type
*Excessive Body Fat or Obesity
●Obesity is a body condition
characterized by having too much
body fat. If not properly addressed,
obesity can cause major problems,
including heart problems,
hypertension, sleeping difficulties,
breathing problems, and emotional
problems. Teenagers who become
the subject of ridicule by their peers
are more likely to suffer from
emotional disturbances. As a
consequence, they begin to acquire
poor self-esteem, in addition, they
suffer from anxiety, depression, and
obsessive-compulsive disorder.
●Eating Disorders are psychological
conditions characterized by having
extreme disturbances in eating
habits. Experts link this type of
disorder to family relationships,
psychological factors, and genetics.
The three more popular types of this
condition are anorexia nervosa,
bulimia nervosa, binge-eating
disorder.
●Anorexia Nervosa- This type of
eating disorder is characterized by
refusal to eat. Teenagers who have
this type of disorder sees themselves
as overweight even though they are
skinny. They believe that their sense
of value lies in their body image.
They fear gaining weight so they
exercise a lot or some may even
starve to death.
●Bulimia Nervosa- This is a type of
eating disorder characterized by
eating excessive amounts of food
and consequentially purging the
body through vomiting, exercising,
or using laxatives and diuretics.
●Binge-eating disorder- This eating
disorder is characterized by frequent
episodes of out-of-control eating. It
is quite similar to bulimia but people
who have this disorder do not purge
their bodies of excess calories.
*Irregularity in Sleep patterns
According to the National Sleep
Foundation, adolescents tend to
sleep late at night and wake up late
in the morning. This implies that it
may be natural for teenagers to
experience difficulty in sleeping early
in the evening. These young people
usually need a considerable number
of hours of sleep-about 8 to 10
hours-for them to function
efficiently. Most teenagers,
however, do not get enough sleep.
Sleep disorders found among teens
include daytime sleepiness, sleep
apnea, or difficulty in breathing
while sleeping, narcolepsy, fatigue,
headache, stomach problems, and
insomnia.
●Insomnia refers to the trouble a
person experiences in falling or
staying asleep. This is because the
brain works naturally late at night or
late in the morning during
adolescence. Also, the internal
biological clock of the body, or what
is termed as the circadian rhythm is
changed to a later time. This
modification in the internal body
clock may be due to the production
of the brain hormone melatonin that
happens late at night compared with
kids and adults. There are also
instances when young people use
their mobile devices in bed. The
bright light from these devices
causes the disruption of the
circadian rhythm making it difficult
for teens to fall asleep. Other
modifications in teenagers’ body
clock may be stress and physical
discomfort.
●Narcolepsy is a type of sleep
syndrome characterized by excessive
sleepiness during the day and
disruption of sleep at night. This
disorder usually happens between
the ages of nine and eighteen. The
daytime drowsiness or inappropriate
times of sleepiness may happen
during class, while conversing with
someone or during relaxing
moments. Because of narcolepsy,
some young people suffer from poor
performance in school, which then
results in low grades.
●Sleep apnea is a type of sleep
disorder characterized by brief
interruptions of breathing during
sleep. It is derived from the Greek
word apnea, which means “want to
breath.” The common type of sleep
apnea is the
so-called obstructive sleep apnea.
This happens when air cannot flow
into or out of the individual’s nose or
mouth despite continuous effort to
breathe.
*Cognitive Development Challenges
●Thinking, Learning, and Problem
Solving
The theories of clinical psychologist
Jean Piaget provided a rich source
of information regarding the altering
nature of the mental processing
during the transition from childhood
to adolescence. Piaget illustrated
how young people in the phase of
adolescence develop the ability to
contemplate rationally and
conceptually (1955). In the words of
Daniel Keating adolescence brings to
fore the “attainment of a more fully
conscious, self-directed, and self-
regulating mind.”
●Interpersonal Perspective Taking
During the middle and late stages of
their cognitive development,
adolescents acquire mutual
understanding that can be felt by
sincerely providing and being
thoughtful for a person. This idea
was well described by psychologist
Robert Selman in his 2003 work, The
Promotion of Social Awareness
which he based on the research of
psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg and
others intended to present a better
awareness of young people’s social
and moral thinking processes.
Selman delved deeper into the
development of perspective-taking
skills, also known as “interpersonal
understanding” throughout its
progression to appreciate how
changes in mental processes in
interpersonal perspective influence
relationships.
●Idealism and Commitment to
Social Causes
The sense of idealism among
adolescents develops
simultaneously as the heightened
level of self-awareness, uniqueness,
and critical thinking. The need for
approval happens at about the same
time early adolescents experience
family conflicts, in particular with
their parents. As professor of
psychology Laurence Steinberg
(1993) puts it, close associations,
coherence, and agreement with the
peer group heightens at the ages of
twelve to fourteen.
One component of identity
achievement as identified by Erikson
is the so called “fidelity” (Kroger
1989) Adolescents usually
experiment with various roles and
value systems until they are able to
attain fidelity. Through this, the
develop sociopolitical responsibility,
discover an ideal person to look up
to, or adhere to a social principle
without obeying others blindly.
●Learning through Success and
Failure
According to Piaget, part of the
cognitive transition of childhood into
adolescence is the development
from “concrete operations” to
“formal operations”. During the
middle and late adolescence,
teenagers are able to deal with
ideas, concepts, and abstract
theories. However, it takes time
from them to acquire needed
confidence to use these skills. There
are times they may make mistakes in
their judgement. This is part of the
challenge of the learning process for
adolescents.
*Psychosocial Development
Challenges
●Searching for Identity
Young people continually seek
answers to questions such as who
they are and where they fit in the
world. This search can be influenced
by their family, school, gender, peer
group, and cultural background.
According to Erikson, young people
must resolve two life “crises” during
adolescence. He utilized the word
crisis to refer to a series of internal
contradictions associated with the
eight stages of development. Young
people in the early to middle
adolescence experience the first
predicament pertinent to the crisis
of identity versus role confusion.
This difficulty describes effort to
seek a balance between forming a
distinct self and still being accepted
by others.
When adolescents are able to
overcome this challenge, they will
have a strong appreciation of their
unique self and individual identity
and will be able to present this “self”
to others. As a result, they learn to
become confidents and be well -
rounded individuals who can
spontaneously mingle with other
people without the fear of losing
their distinct self and identity. On
the other hand, if they fail and feel
anxious about their identity, they
will become socially aloof and
lacking in emotional maturity.
The second crisis, according to
Erikson, is the crisis of intimacy
versus isolation. This occurs between
the period of late adolescence and
early adulthood. This predicament
describes the conflict to find a
solution to the mutual nature of
closeness such as giving and
receiving love and support from
others. Erikson argues that when the
individual successfully navigates the
difficulty, there are greater chances
to survive with the
confidence to establish mutual
relationships. The inability to resolve
the conflict leaves a person isolated
and lonely without social support.
●Increase in Intensity of Emotions
The transition from childhood to
adulthood is a period of turbulence
and stress. Constant adjustments
to physiological and social changes
can cause adolescents to display
inappropriate mood swings and
emotional outbursts. Their tolerance
for change is indeed out to a test.

●Peak of Parent-Child Control
Disagreements
At this stage, adolescents begin to
conceive their idea of “ideal”
parents who are in contrast to their
own parents. There is an evident
intermittent seeking and rejection of
parental support. This seemingly
stormy relationship between parents
and adolescents normally springs
from the need of teens to search for
freedom, away from their parents’
conventional rules.
●Peer group as Focal Point of
Interest
Adolescents regard their peer group
as their primary means of social
support, buffering the “separation”
process from their parents. They
consider their peers as “everybody”
who defines “everything.”
Adolescents at this stage continue to
experiment with new roles and
identities. They also engage in risk-
taking activities bolstered by their
persistent sense of invulnerability
and immortality.
●Sexual interest, Curiosity,
Experimentation, and Partnerships
According to Adolescent Parenting
author Angela Oswalt (2015), views
about romance vary between
genders. Females are more
concerned about the consequences
of sexual activity than males so they
begin to research more about
pregnancy and birth control.
There are teenagers who try to
engage in sexual activity out of
curiosity. Others do not and
cannot draw the line between
wanting to have sex and just fooling
around. As Oswalt further explains,
teenagers in certain instances
experiment with sexual behaviors
and unprotected sexual acts but still
claim that they maintain sexual
abstinence. These sexual activities
oftentimes leas to unwanted
pregnancies, abortion, or early
marriages.
●Substance abuse
reasons for substance abuse are
curiosity, peer pressure, rebellion,
and relief from unpleasant
emotions. The substances used by
some teens include tobacco, liquor,
contact cement, diet pills, or
over-the-counter prescription drugs.
Some teenagers use prohibited
drugs such as marijuana, LSD,
cocaine, methamphetamine, or
ecstasy. The use of these substances
may be classified as abuse when a
person continues to use them to the
point of causing serious problems
such as family conflicts, peer
isolation, school expulsion. A few
teenagers become mentally or
physically addicted to these
substances and it can even lead
people to commit crimes.
*Spiritual and Moral Development
Challenges
●Moral Reasoning and Decision
Making
During the middle and late
adolescence, teenagers are faced
with the challenge concerning moral
decision making. Taking off from the
contribution of Piaget, Kohlberg
contends that the ability to provide
moral reason becomes more
complicated and distinguished
through the years. He asserts that by
the age of thirteen, the teenagers’
rational thinking develops to
embrace reciprocal considerations.
They acquire the ability to
appreciate other people’s
experiences, which widens their
concepts of moral principles
concerning other individuals and the
distinct aspects of various situations.
●Considering Moral Implications
and Consequences of Actions
With cognitive and moral
development, middle and late
adolescents go through an
increasing level of maturity. They
begin to consider the moral
implications and possible
consequences of their actions. Most
significantly, they realize when they
reach the age of majority in the late
adolescence stage that whatever
they do may have moral and legal
repercussions.
LESSON 6: COPING WITH STRESS IN
MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE
● Stressors - things, situations, or
even people that triggers stress.
● Hormones - a product of the
activity of the cells that go around
through our body fluids (such as
blood)
● Adrenal Gland - a group of cells
located in the kidney that secretes
hormones responsible for
stimulating a fight-or-flight reaction
of the body including increased
heart rate and respiration
(sweating).
● Cortisol - steroid hormones, it
helps us regulate stress within the
body. It is made in the adrenal
glands.
● Norepinephrine - a hormone that
helps keep blood pressure at a
constant level, especially if it falls
too low. (Cambridge Dictionary)
● Pre-frontal cortex - a part of the
brain responsible for controlling our
response to dangerous, frightening
or challenging situations.
DEFINING STRESS
A reaction of the mind and body to a
stimulus that disturbs the well-being,
state of calm, or equilibrium of a
person. Small and sporadic amounts
of stress can be helpful and
beneficial to individuals, while
excessive amounts of stress
sustained over a lengthy period of
time can be destructive to both
physical and mental health.
STRESS AS STIMULUS, RESPONSE
AND RELATIONAL
As a stimulus, stress is caused by
situations that may be life
threatening or life-changing, such as
separation, moving into a new
home, or having a new job. These
events and situations are called
stressors.
Stress as a response is the way the
body reacts to challenging situations.
These are the interactions between
the hormones, glands and nervous
system.
● The adrenal gland drives the
production of cortisol or the “stress
hormone”. It enables the person’s
body to produce the energy it needs
to gear it toward action.
● Production of norepinephrine
triggers the body’s reaction, such as
an increased heart rate, higher blood
pressure, and respiration, to prepare
the body for action.
● The adolescent’s physical response
to stress is faster that of an adult
because the part of the adolescent’s
brain, the prefrontal cortex-assesses
danger and directs action during
stress – is not yet developed.
● Prolonged or chronic situations
that involve both cortisol and
norepinephrine will eventually affect
the body to wear down fast and can
cause fatigue, aging and illness
caused by low immune system.
Stress as relational means that a
person takes a step back to look at
the situation that is causing the
stress and assesses it. It allows the
person to weigh the relevance or
irrelevance of the situation.
HEALTHY STRESS
Short and sporadic stress can propel
a person to a necessary action.
These stresses can motivate,
energize and spur an action. Bad
stress can be transformed
depending on how an individual
assesses the situation,
STRESSORS
1. School Demands and
Expectations
Quizzes and tests, home works and
projects, oral recitation, quarterly
and final exams, and grades most
especially, epitomize the kind of
stressors adolescents have when it
comes to studying.
2. Selecting a School, College
Course, or Career
A high school student who just
graduated face more demanding
challenges and the first of these are
the entrance exams to whatever
school or university, and the course
that they will choose.
3. Separation Anxiety
High school graduation, to some,
means a temporary ending or
separation from some of their
friends. There is a possible situation
that they may go to other place to
study or to move to other schools.
4. College Life
The idea of being by themselves in a
new school in college and meeting
and adjusting to new people is
another cause of stress. The
unfamiliarity of a new environment
can bring stress to adolescents as
they set their foot in college.
5. Romantic Relationships or the
Lack of it
Adolescents tend to feel awkward
when they are not in a special
relationship with someone.
Somehow, having an intimate
relationship is a status symbol that
says one is good looking, interesting,
and attractive.
6. Family Demands and
Expectations
For some, family ties can be a
stressor. Since the adolescent is still
learning and yearning for
independence and autonomy,
parents may not be ready to
relinquish control over their “baby”.
This where conflicts set in.
7. Health Concerns
Health problems may run a gamut of
varieties, such as unwanted
pregnancy, HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases, unhealthy
lifestyles such as poor eating and
sleeping habits that often lead to a
lifetime disease, and so on.
8. Demands of Social Life
Forming groups or joining one makes
an adolescent feel safe and secure
because to be a part of one social
group is an affirmation that they are
acceptable to others.
9. Bullying
Being bullied in school can be very
stressful and may cause emotional
and psychological trauma to the
individual experiencing it.
COPING WITH STRESS
Coping is very important mechanism
in dealing with stress. It can be
problem-focused, when remedies or
solutions are thought of to change
the situation to lessen the stress, or
emotion-focused, when the
objective is to lessen the emotional
impact caused by the stressful
situation. Coping can be a
combination of both problem-
focused and emotion-focused:
● Conduct creative imagery of the
problem
● Seek group or social support
● Get into relaxation activities
● Create a situation where you can
feel more relaxed
● Learn to manage your time
● Eat properly
● Seek spiritual growth through
prayer and meditation
● Have a worthwhile hobby
● Watch movie with friends
● Have a nice, quiet walk
● Assess your stressors and then
adjust to the expectations
● Believe in yourself
LESSON 7: THE POWERS OF MIND-
THE WHOLE BRAIN THEORY
● Hemisphere - one of two half of
sphere, therefore, cerebral
hemisphere refers to one of the
sides of the brain
● Cerebral - a word relating to the
cerebrum, the largest section of the
brain. It could also be relating to the
intellect, e.g. Cerebral mode or
Intellectual mode
● Cerebral cortex - a wrinkled
surface of the cerebrum, with a
brownish-gray color consisting of
nerve tissues and fibers, that
functions mainly for coordination of
our senses and movements
● Neocortex - a region in the brain
said to be unique in mammals. In
humans, it is said to be responsible
for our rationality or reasoning
ability.
● Reptilian - a word description
related to the characteristics of a
reptile, or something treacherous or
aggressive. In the context of our
lesson, the reptilian cortex will mean
as the portion of the brain
responsible for sensing danger,
aggressiveness control, and survival
instincts
● Limbic System - a group of
structures below the cerebral cortex
that are concerned especially with
emotion and motivation
● Theory - a scientifically acceptable
general principle or body of
principles offered to explain a
Phenomenon
Some fun facts about your brain:
● The brain can’t feel pain. It
interprets pain signals sent to it, but
it does not feel pain.
● People don’t know that when they
practice and learn new things, parts
of their brain change and get larger a
lot like muscles do when they
exercise.
● The brain of a human contains
approximately one hundred billion
neurons.
● Cholesterol is key to learning and
memory. However, high cholesterol
has different effects depending on
your age and other factors.
● About 75 percent of the brain is
made up of water. This means that
dehydration, even in small amounts,
can have a negative effect on the
brain functions.
● Inhalants, such as glue, paint,
gasoline and aerosols, destroy the
outer lining of nerve cells and make
them unable to communicate with
one another.
● Studies have found that marijuana
use hinders memory, learning,
judgment and reaction times,
while steroids cause aggression and
violent mood swings.
● Scientists have found that drug
destroys neurons that make
serotonin, a chemical crucial in
controlling sleep, violence, mood
swings and sexual urges.
Scientists, medical doctors,
psychologists, and psychiatrists have
always been fascinated with. The
brain and how it works. These are
some studies conducted on the brain
that often starts with an attempt to
understand a brain-related disease
or malfunction:
1. Paul Broca conducted a study on
the language and left- right brain
specialization on a patient who had
problems with language then
theorized that language functions
reside in the left side of the brain.
2. Split Brain Theory - Dr. Roger
Sperry conducted a study for
epilepsy (1981 Nobel Prize for
Physiology or Medicine). He
explained that the left and right side
of the brain has different functions.
The left hemisphere of the brain is
for tasks that are more intuitive,
creative, and synthesizing;
while the right hemisphere of the
brain was for functions such as
analytical, logical, reasoning, and
critical thinking.
3. Triune Brain Theory - Dr. Paul
MacLean came up with a theory that
identified three distinct parts of the
Brain – Neocortex, Limbic System,
and Reptilian Cortex
● Neocortex or the rational brain –
intellectual tasks (language,
planning, abstraction, and
perception)
● Limbic System or the intermediate
brain – motivation, and emotion
(feeding, reproductive
behavior, and parental behavior)
● Reptilian Cortex or the primitive
brain – controls the self-preservation
and aggressive behavior of
humans similar to the survival
instincts of the animals
4. Brain Dominance Theory -
American creative researcher and
author, Ned Herrmann studied
that the human body does not
function equally. People normally
have a more dominant body part. He
extended his theory to the brain
which he concluded that the brain
has four parts – upper left and right
hemisphere, and the lower left and
right limbic halves. He is regarded as
the “Father of Brain Dominance
Technology”.
Herrmann Brain Dominance
Instrument (HBDI)
developed a 120-question survey
instrument that measured the
preference strengths of the four
quadrants. This is very useful in
identifying occupational profiles.
He was not trying to differentiate
the functions of the quadrants and
how the brain works. Instead, he is
pointing out the preferences of
styles in thinking. This means using
one’s strength while allowing the
weaker styles to grow stronger
through regular use and practice.
In the illustrations below, we will see
these four different thinking styles,
and how and when these are
most useful and effective.
Analytical Learner
-Logical, factual, critical, technical,
quantitative, abstract, impersonal.
-Preferred activities are collecting
data, listening to informational
lectures, reading textbooks, judging
ideas based on facts, criteria, and
logical reasoning.
-Reponses well to technical or
financial information, theories,
charts and graphs, formal approach,
data-heavy content.
-Vulnerabilities are too focused, may
miss synergistic opportunities, favors
individuals vs. group work, tends to
place facts over people, problems
with delegating.
-Typical occupations are CEO of
technical organizations, stock market
broker, chemist, computer
programmer, finance manager.
Sequential Learner
-Conservative, structured, organized,
detailed, planned
-Preferred activities are following
directions, repetitive detailed
homework problems, time
management, and schedules,
planning and organizing.
-Responses well to agendas, goals
and objectives, simple graphs and
presentation a stickler for time, step-
by-step procedures before
concluding
-Vulnerabilities are reluctant to
changes tend to miss the bigger
picture, does not miss the bigger
picture, does not appreciate
innovative ideas, avoids dynamic
situations.
-Typical Occupations are technical
manager, operations manager,
bookkeeper, drill sergeant,
supervisory nurse, construction
engineer
Interpersonal Learner
-emotional, spiritual, feeling,
sensory, kinesthetic
-preferred activities are listening to
and sharing, looking for personal
meaning, sensory input, teamwork,
win-win situations.
-responses well to create and free-
flowing activities, experiential
activities like music and art, people
centered activities, and discussions
-vulnerabilities are dislike for routine
and structured activities, tendency
to be impulsive and emotional, often
misses out on details.
-typical occupations are marketing,
sales, real estate, elementary school
teacher, social worker, counselor,
secretary
Imaginative Learner
-visual, holistic, intuitive, innovative,
conceptual
-preferred activities are looking at
the big picture, taking initiative,
simulations, visual aids, appreciate
the beauty of the problem,
brainstorming, visionary
-responses well to fun activities,
humor, future-oriented activities,
experimentation, thought-
provoking, and challenging
questions, visuals
-Vulnerabilities can be impractical,
tend to overlook details, may tend to
procrastinate especially if they do
not like what they’re doing like
repetitive tasks, difficulty in ✔ As you come across new
prioritizing. information, link it into the mind
-Typical occupations are artist, map appropriately.
entertainer, musician, entrepreneur,
strategic planner, creative writer, WAYS WE CAN USE MIND MAPS
film director. EFFECTIVELY:
✔ Use single words or simple
MIND MAPPING phrases
-A diagram developed by Tony Buzan ✔ Print words
-used to represent ideas or ✔ Use color and shapes to separate
information branching from a central different ideas
keyword or idea and used as an aid ✔ Use symbols and Images
in study, organization, problem- ✔ Use color and shapes to separate
solving, decision making, and different ideas
writing. ✔ Use symbols and Images
-a useful visual tool that helps in ✔ Use cross-linkages
linking together concepts and
information
-interconnection and interrelation of
these are clearly laid out and easily
accessible to help in problem-
solving and for reference and
review.
-useful during brainstorming
sessions, making decisions,
organizing information, simplifying
complex ideas, note-taking, and
even for personal use.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A MIND MAP:
✔ The center image represents the
main idea, subject, or focus.
✔ The main branches radiate from
the central image.
✔ The branches comprise a key
image or word drawn or printed on
its line.
✔ Twigs represent lesser topics.
✔ The branches form a connected
nodal structure.
STEPS IN CREATING BASIC MIND
MAPS:
✔ Write the title of the subject you
are exploring in the center of the
page and draw a circle around it.
✔ Draw lines out the center circle to
label major subject matters about
your topic.
✔ Draw additional lines that will
connect to the lines to the major
topics.
✔ For individual facts or ideas, draw
lines out from the appropriate
heading line and label them.