LESSON 5: MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE

The journey from getting to know your own developmental stage, experiencing varied
challenges which may lead to stress, and knowing the capacities of the mind may have a direct
or indirect influence on your health and well-being.

MENTAL HEALTH

 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), It includes subjective well-being,

perceived self-efficacy autonomy competence, intergenerational dependence and self-
actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others. The
organization further states that the person's well-being comprises the fulfillment of
one's capacities, ability to cope with regular normal life's stressors, ability to perform at
work well, and to positively contribute to their community
 It is defined as the level of psychological health or well-being.
 It also indicates a state of normalcy or an absence of mental illness.
 From this, you could assess yourself being in a satisfactory level of emotional and
behavioral adjustment. In positive psychology, this points to an ability to simply enjoy
life and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological
resilience.

COMMON MENTAL DISORDERS AMONG MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENTS

Kutner (2017) states that one out of five young person suffers from mental illness. Mental
illnesses disrupt the normal functions of the brain. They come from varied causes resulting from
the complex interactions between genes and environment. Having a mental illness is not a
choice nor can it be judged from a moral standpoint.

The following are considered possible symptoms of mental disorders. You may also perhaps
notice these signs in some of your peers.

 Frequent expression of anger and worry

 Difficulty in sleeping and eating
 Inability to enjoy pleasurable activities
  Isolation and avoiding social interactions
 Extended feeling of grief after a loss or death of a loved one
 Obsession with exercising, dieting, or binge eating
 Tendency to hurt other people or destroy property
 Low or no energy
 Engaging in smoking, drinking, and prohibited drugs
 Difficulty in controlling emotions
 Thoughts of suicide
 Self-harm
 Idea that one's mind is controlled by someone else or is out of control
 Hearing voices

The following are common mental disorders among adolescents:

1. ADHD or Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder

 It is a persistent inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that disrupts normal
functioning or development and whose symptoms present themselves in two or
more settings such as home, school, or work.
 It has direct negative impact on social, academic, or occupational functioning.
 It may start in the earlier stage but will later manifest in the adolescence stage.
a. Predominantly Inattentive Presentation – Cannot focus on what he is doing.
b. Redominantly Hyperactive Impulsive Presentation – Always active and going to
different places.
2. Bipolar Disorder
 It is considered a serious mental illness. People having this disorder go through
unusual mood changes and extremes of emotions such as the happy, highly
energetic phase called manic episode.
a. Bipolar 1 (Mania)– Activities in life are affected. Hindi nauubusan ng energy, tuwang
tuwa tapos bigla nalag iiyak.
b. Bipolar 2 (Hypomania) – Hindi pa naaapektuhan yung activities in life but it is serious
because it may last long.
3. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
 There is no exact root of cause.
 It refers to excessive anxiety and worrying with difficulty to control oneself. This is
associated with other symptoms such as restlessness, being easily tired, difficulty in
concentrating or mind going blank, irritability, muscular tension and difficulty falling
asleep or staying asleep together with unsatisfying sleep.
4. Social Anxiety Disorder
 It refers to a persistent fear of socializing with unfamiliar situations or people and
the fear to act in ways that may be embarrassing and humiliating. Doing so may d to
anxiety when exposed and can predispose adolescents to panic attacks.
5. Panic Disorder
 Points to a sudden surge of fear or intense discomfort reaching its peak within
minutes. The most prominent sign is recurrent unexpected panic attacks.
 Signs of panic attack include fast heartbeats, chest pain, sweating, trembling,
shortness of breath, choking sensation, nausea, dizziness or lightheadedness,
numbness, chills or heat, feeling of being detached from one's self, fear of losing
control, and fear of dying.
6. Schizophrenia
 It can be one of the disorders experienced by some adolescents that is related to
"gross deficits in reality testing." This can mean a gross incapacity to properly detect
what is real and not real, such that an adolescent may manifest
o Delusion (False Beliefs)
o Hallucination (False perception/senses)
o Disorganized speech
o Disorganized or catatonic behavior
7. Depression
 It refers to a feeling of sadness that lingers for weeks or longer, accompanied by a
feeling of worthlessness and hopelessness. Depression is a serious problem. The
 person may feel that the things he/she once loved doing may no longer be what
he/she likes to do now.
8. Eating Disorder
 It is commonly viewed as a lifestyle-related disorder. However, it is considered more
serious since it may cause a severe disturbance to an adolescent's eating behavior
that may lead to a fatal illness. Eating disorders include:
o Anorexia nervosa - see themselves as overweight even when they are
underweight.
o Bulimia nervosa – Binge eat and will feel guilty or vomit the food for them to
look good.
o Binge eating – will eat a lot of food maybe because of stress.
9. Personality Disorder
 It is another type of mental disorder.
 An adolescent who has a personality disorder may display behavior that markedly
deviates from the expectation of the individual who exhibits it.
 These behavior patterns tend to run across all being perceived as right and proper
by the adolescent despite its negative to-day life and interaction with others.
10. Conduct Disorder
 It refers to disruptive behaviors such as aggression to people destruction of
property, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violation of rules. The behaviors cause
serious problems in socialization, academics, and work. Adal conduct disorder
display a repetitive behavior that fails to respect the rights of other major norms of
society.
11. Substance-related Disorders
 These are conditions that have something to do with all pathological use of
substances such as alcohol or illegal drugs. Many adolescents exposed substance
abuse, experience harmful effects that affect their quality of life.
12. Internet Addiction
  Itrefers to the excessive use of the Internet which impairs daily life increased
innovation and use of technology, adolescents are highly exposed to the Internet
which opens the gates to varied online activities such as gaming, emailing/texting,
and engaging in social networking sites. This has led to the common Internet
addiction described as compulsory impulsive disorder" involving the above activities
plus the possibility of sexual preoccupation.

TRACERS AND THREATS TO PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

1. Family is known in sociology as the basic unit of our society. It is currently being
challenged relation to rearing adolescents. How you are being raised in your respective
families helps shape person that you are. Different types of families have different
characteristics. A complete and whole family is the most ideal of all. However, parenting
styles do mate create a great impact on your formation as an individual. Some parents
exercise a balanced app providing firm discipline while being compassionate, and
explaining why rules have to be implemented at home. These are parents who listen to
you when you share your concerns, thus, fostering open communication.
2. Peers are people in in the same age group, middle and late adolescents are individuals
who, despite belonging in the same age group, have distinct personalities shaped by the
unique culture and style of their own families
3. Community and neighborhood could also affect your well-being. You may have friends
in the neighborhood who know how to paint and dance and love to play sports and
read. They could influence choices and interests. There may also be people in the
community who could influence you to be bullies. Internet gamers, or truants. In short,
you could imbibe the behaviors, attitudes, and mindsets of people around you.
4. School-Related Factors can contribute to or threaten your health and well-being. Good
factors such as you joining academic and non-academic curricular activities such as
sports and the arts and having classmates or friends in school with positive and high
self-esteem would help in your growth and development as an adolescent.
5. Socioeconomic status could also affect your well-being. You may be experiencing the
luxury and comfort of your adolescent life, having parents who could afford to buy your
 needs and wants, but one of your classmates who may be experiencing poverty could
not eat three times a day or buy the required materials for your school project.

HOW COULD THESE SITUATIONS LEAD TO MENTAL DISORDERS?

We may differ in on our mode of coping and managing events. One of the factors that may give
rise to multiple personality disorder is the instability of the home environment. All other tracers
can be managed and overcome when the home/family is strong and built on a solid ground. A
stable home will help boost the confidence, self-esteem, and psychological well-being of
adolescents. Having a dysfunctional family may increase the likelihood of mental problems
(Martinez and Fuertez, 2014).

1. Vulnerability "The Stress - Vulnerability Model of Co-occurring Disorders" (2016) mentions

two factors that may lead to mental health problems. One of the factors is vulnerability
which is succceptibility to mental health disorders. This can be determined through
genetic compositions and experiences in life. By being vulnerable to something, we are
more likely to be affected by it.
2. Biological vulnerability includes being affected by some physical illness like asthma or
heart psychiatric disorders such as major depression or bipolar disorder.
3. Early experiences in life include intense emotional experience such as parent’s separation
of a parent or death of significant others such as father, mother, or someone close and the
like. Another factor mentioned is stress which means that when you are given early life
experiences, you are more likely affected by life's stressors.

PREVENTION OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

1. Look inside. Being self-aware is the key to good mental health

2. Decide to live one day at a time. A lot of people live anxiously each day trying to control
things and securing life as if they would be robbed or die anytime. They are obsessed
with preparing for what might be and anticipating failures.
3. Choose to live a healthy lifestyle. There could be varied temptations for adolescents
like you, but you should choose to live a healthy lifestyle which includes eating the right
kinds of food (nothing beats vegetables and fruits, drinking enough water, etc.), getting
 six to eight hours of sleep at night, exercising, avoiding vices like alcohol, cigarettes, and
illegal drugs.
4. Learn to manage stressors. The excitement and adventures of being an adolescent is
intense because you have so much energy. Remember to use the skills in managing
stressors as mentioned in previous chapters.
5. Connect to a higher being. Many individuals associate peace of mind and heart with
prayer and meditation. Thus, acknowledging God or a higher being is highly
recommended for our search for psychological health and wellness.

LESSON 6: EMOTIONS AND COMMUNICATING EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS

"Oh, you're not thinking straight, you're just being emotional!” People usually say this to
explain irrational thought or impulsive behavior. Traditionally, emotions have been viewed as
disorganized interruptions of mental activity, but with the growing interest in the study of
emotions, a different view has come about.

Salovey and Mayer (1990) proposed a new definition of emotions, stating that emotions are
“organized responses, crossing the boundaries of physiological, cognitive, motivational, and
experiential systems." They held a non-traditional view of emotions stating that they are
adaptive, and something that can potentially lead to a transformation of personal and social
interaction into enriching experience.”

JOSEPH LEDOUX - “Emotions are a critical source of information for learning.”

EMOTIONS

 In psychology, emotion is often defined as a complex state of feeling that results in

physical and psychological changes that influence thought and behavior.
 Emotionality is associated with a range of psychological phenomena, including
temperament, personality, mood, and motivation. According to author David G. Myers,
human emotion involves "...physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious
experience."
  It can be expressed
o NON-VERBALLY - through facial expressions and other body movements
o VERBALLY - through face-to-face communication or text-based communication
such as letters and e-mails (Sinayah et al., 2015). For instance, a smiling facial
expression, in which the lip corners are pulled upwards, indicates joy. Moreover,
studies have shown that a high mean pitch, wider pitch range, and fast speech
indicate joy.

How people exhibit emotions can be categorized into ways, either through communicating it
voluntarily or involuntarily.

o One exhibits voluntary communication of emotions by choosing to avoid other people

because he/she feels uncomfortable seeing them, or by smiling at people to
communicate that he/she is happy to see them.
o On the other hand, involuntary communication of emotions can be seen in one's facial
expressions.

Because of our evolutionary past, some emotions are universal and are exhibited by all people.
These can be identified as:

1. PRIMARY EMOTIONS (BASIC EMOTIONS)

 which are innate emotions that are experienced for short periods of time and
appear rapidly, usually as a reaction to an outside stimulus, and are experienced
similarly across cultures.
 These are joy, distress, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust. These basic emotions
are biological and each has a unique expression. (Sabini & Silver, 2005).

However, some emotions do not have a corresponding expression that is universally

recognized, and these are secondary emotions.

2. SECONDARY EMOTIONS
 Are processed by a different part of the brain, and require higher order thinking,
and are therefore not reflexive.
  Examples of secondary emotions are love, guilt, shame, embarrassment, pride,
envy, and jealousy.

MOOD METER

 Proposed by Marc Brackett (2014)

 A tool that would help students identify their emotion.
 It is a road map for our emotions.
 It measures the energy (high/ low) and the pleasantness (pleasant/unpleasant) of your
emotions. There are four zones where each quadrant has a group of emotions that have
similar levels of energies and pleasantness:
1. Yellow Zone (High energy, High Pleasantness)
2. Green Zone (Low Energy, High Pleasantness)
3. Red Zone (High Energy, Low Pleasantness)
4. Blue Zone (Low Energy, Low Pleasantness)
 

1. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI)

 It refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions.
 Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and
strengthened, while others claim it's an inborn characteristic.
 Emotionally intelligent people are not only good at thinking about how other people
might feel but they are also adept at understanding their own feelings.
 Self-awareness allows people to consider the many different factors that contribute
to their emotions.
 A large part of emotional intelligence is being able to think about and empathize
with how other people are feeling. This often involves considering how you would
respond if you were in the same situation.
The ability to express and control emotions is essential, but so is the ability to understand,
interpret, and respond to the emotions of others.

2. INTRAPERSONAL
INTELLIGENCE
 Under this intelligence are the three (3) areas that one can improve on to maintain
or improve emotional intelligence. These components of EI relate to how one
manages his/her emotions.
a. SELF-AWARENESS
 Keeping in check of our own emotions and correctly name one’s own emotional
state as they occur. Emotional maturity in this state shows;
o Confidence in self and sense of humor
o Aware of your impression with other
b. SELF-REGULATION
 The knowledge on how to manage emotional states in an appropriate manner
and understanding the factors that trigger that emotional state. It also includes
controlling your impulses. Emotional maturity in this state shows;
o Conscientiousness and take personal responsibility for your own work
o Examples are:
 Maintaining good grades even though you are not in good
terms with a loved one (Regulation of emotions to self)
 Wearing formal outfits and behaving well when in church or
having an appropriate event (Regulation of emotion to others)
 c. MOTIVATIONS
 The usage of our emotional states to help us achieve goals and deal with the
impulses interest in learning. Emotional maturity in this state shows;
o Perseverance even in the time of adversity
o Initiative and commitment to complete a task
o Examples are:
 The expression of anxiety when there is a task like incoming
tests and deadlines motivates you to fulfill the task in order to
meet your standards.
3. INTERPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE
a. EMPATHY
 To acknowledge the feelings of others in a situation, or the ability to put oneself
inside the shoes of another’s in which the self may have or have not experienced
since individuals differ in terms of perception of emotions.
 Emotional maturity in this state shows;
o Perceptive of other’s emotions and taking an active interest in their
concerns.
o Able to anticipate someone’s needs and the appropriate reaction or being
pro-active.
b. SOCIAL SKILLS
 Are used to interact and handle relationships with other people such as the ability
to communicate appropriately, and build and maintain meaningful relationships.
This competence also includes how one understands others and their emotions,
and understanding his/ her behavior towards others.
 Understanding the emotional tenor of a social situation and being able to respond
in a manner that manages emotional states in others in an effective and useful
manner to establish a common good. Emotional maturity in this state shows;
o Communication - listening and responding appropriately.
o Influence and leadership - ability to guide and inspire others.
 o Conflict management - ability to diffuse difficult situations using
persuasion and negotiation.

SUMMARY

 Emotions are organized responses which cross the boundaries of physiological,

cognitive, motivational, and experiential systems.
 Emotions are adaptive and can lead to enriching personal and social interactions.
 Emotions may be overt or covert, and can be exhibited through voluntary or involuntary
communication. Emotions can be expressed verbally through words, and non-verbally
through expressions and actions.
 Primary emotions or basic emotions are innate emotions that are experience for short
periods of time. These include joy, distress, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust.
 Secondary emotions are not reflexive and do not have universally-recognized
expressions. These include love, guilt, shame, pride, envy, and jealousy.
 Emotional sharing involves the communication of thoughts and feelings regarding an
emotional event. This offers intrapersonal and interpersonal benefits such as
satisfaction and relief, and the strengthening of social bonds.
 Intensity refers to how strongly one feels an emotion and may range from close to zero
to very intense.
 Emotional intelligence is a set of skills for processing and using emotional information to
guide one's thinking and actions. This is composed of personal and social/interpersonal
skills.

LESSON 7: SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE

1. SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP
 It refers to the connections that exist between people who have recurring interactions
that are perceived by the participants to have personal meaning.
 It tends to be less intimate, with lesser self-disclosure involved, but may still be
exclusive, and may demand certain levels of loyalty as in fraternities or religious
 organizations, and to a lesser extent, loosely knitted social clubs like practitioners of
certain specialized professions

Middle and late adolescents usually find themselves in the company of their peers, usually from
the school or the neighborhood. From high school to college, adolescents mature faster
socially, and new lessons are learned especially on how their social interactions affirm their self-
identity, increase their self-esteem, and develop their capacity to nurture relationships.

GOLEMAN’S SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE THEORY

 Emotional Intelligence author, Daniel Goleman, explained in his book, Social

Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships (2006), how our brains are wired
to connect with other people, and how part of the human brain located just above the
eyes called the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is connected directly to the three (3) major
regions of the brain: the cortex, the amygdala, and the brain stem.
 Goleman pointed out that the OFC provides an immediate connection between though,
emotions, and behavior. It immediately calculates our feelings and thought about a
person and how that other person feels and thinks about us, and what actions we take
after this quick assessment.
2. SOCIAL INFLUENCE
 According to Rashotte, the authors: Defined social influence as things such as behavior,
actions attitude, concepts, ideas, communications, wealth, and other resources that
bring about changes in the beliefs, attitudes, and/or behavior of persons as a result of
the action/s of another person.

VARIETIES OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Herbert Kelman, a Harvard psychologist, suggested that there are three (3) varieties of social
influence:

A. COMPLIANCE
  Is when a person seems to agree, and follows what is requested or required of
him or her to do or believe in, but does not necessarily have to really believe or
agree to it;
B. IDENTIFICATION
 Is when a person is influenced by someone he or she likes or looks up to, like a
movie star, social celebrity, or a superhero;
C. INTERNALIZATION
 Is when a person is able to own a certain belief or act, and is willing to make it
known publicly and privately.

Social scientists and psychologists identified other types of social influence as:

A. CONFORMITY / PAGSANG-AYON

A type of social influence that involves a change in behavior, belief, or thinking to be like others.
It is the most common and pervasive form of social influence

Is very strong particularly among middle and late adolescents. This is supported by the fact by
the fact that an adolescent in this age group is most susceptible to a compelling need to seek
approval from others and be accepted by them in order to become a friend and to belong to a
social group.

B. CONVERSION / PAGBABAGONG-LOOB
 Occurs when an individual whole-heartedly changes his or her original thinking
and beliefs, actions, and attitudes to align with those of the other members of a
group.
C. MINORITY INFLUENCE
 Happens when a bigger number of people are influenced by much smaller
number or people and when the minority’s way of looking at and doing things
are accepted.
D. REACTANCE
 Is when there is a willing rejection of a social influence being exerted on an
individual or group. This is also known as anti- or non-conformity. Reactance is a
 reverse reaction to some social influence that is being imposed by a person or a
group on another.
E. OBEDIENCE
 Is another form of social influence wherein a person follows what someone tells
him or her to do, although it may not necessarily reflect the person’s set of
beliefs or values. Similar to compliance, obedience usually stems from
either respect or fear of the authority figure.
F. PERSUASION
 Is used by one person or group to influence another to change their beliefs,
action, or attitudes by appealing to reason or emotion.

LEADERSHIP AND FOLLOWERSHIP THEORIES

A. LEADERSHIP / PAMUMUNO
 The action of leading a group of people or an organization. Chester Barnard
(1983) defined leadership as the ability of a person in person in position of
authority to influence others to behave in such a manner that goals are achieve •

LEADER / PINUNO

 Often typecast as someone who is the head of a group of people by virtue of

having great strength and wisdom, or may have inherited a position of power
even if strength and wisdom were not part of his person’s virtues.

Influence plays a major role in leadership. Power is also annexed to leadership as espoused by
French and Raven (1960) who said that a leader may obtain power through various means and
sources, such as position, giving rewards, expertise, respect, or coercion.

THERE ARE SEVERAL EXISTING THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP

1. TRAIT THEORY
 This theory defines leadership based on certain personality traits which are
generally suited for all leaders, such as decisiveness(“Katiyakan”),
 persistence(“Pagtitiyaga”), high level of self- confidence (“Kumpiyansa sa sarili”)
and assertiveness(“Pagpipilit”), among others.
2. BEHAVIORAL THEORY
 This theory presupposes that leadership is a learned behavior, and that leaders
are defined according to certain types of behavior they exhibit.
3. PARTICIPATIVE THEORY
 The opposite of an autocratic leader (“Diktador na leader”), the participative
leader involves other people to make common decisions.
4. SITUATIONAL THEORY
 This theory assumes that there is no one style of leadership and that leadership
behavior is based on the factors present in a situation, and usually takes into
consideration how followers behave.
5. TRANSACTIONAL THEORY
 This theory states that leadership involves a transaction or negotiation of
resources or position, usually employs reward and punishment.
6. TRANSFORMATIONAL THEORY 
 This theory involves a vision, which a leader uses to rally support from followers,
and the role of the leader is in motivating others to support the vision and make
it happen.

AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP THREE (3) BASIC AXIOMS OF LEADERSHIP

BY ROB GOFFEE AND GARETH JONES (2006)

Leadership is situational
 This means that leader’s behavior and what is required of him will always be
influenced by the situation. It means that a leader is able to assess a situation
quickly, adjust to it, and provide the appropriate and necessary action to address
it for the benefit of his followers.
Leadership is not-hierarchical
  The exercise of leadership is not based on one’s position in an organizational
chart alone, but also dependent on other factors such as characteristics, skills,
and even connections.
Leadership is relational
 Leaders and followers establish a relationship where their interests are mutually
met. The role of a leader in this relationship can vary from being a visionary to
cheerleader.

An Authentic leader, according to Goffee and Jones (2006), has the following critical elements
present:

 They walk their talk.

 They are consistent in what they say and what they do, practicing what they are
preaching.
 They adjust to situations and display adaptability and flexibility but consistent with their
values and real selves even when they take on different roles during different situations.

 They have a high level of comfort being themselves, even if they come from
backgrounds that are different from the people or situations they deal with.