Concepts and Terms Explanation

Personal Development and Interpersonal Relationships

Theme 1 Understanding Oneself

1 Personal development of adolescents
They include physiological changes, emotional upheavals and
Developmental
social needs. This can affect their self-esteem if they do not
challenges
know how to cope with these challenges.
The transitional stage between childhood and adulthood,
during which reproductive organs become mature and
Puberty
secondary sexual characteristics gradually appear. It begins at
about 10 and ends at about 20.
Experience rapid changes in physiological, psychological and
Emotional social aspects. When they encounter conflicts and difficulties
upheaval which they do not know how to cope with, they feel
perplexed and experience emotional upheavals.
Under the effect of the gonadal hormones, both sexes have
Secondary sexual special physical and personality features that are different
characteristics from their primary sexual characteristics that make the
differences between the two sexes prominent.

Physiological The obvious changes of the body easily lead to doubts,

changes worries and embarrassment for both boys and girls at puberty.
It is people’s overall view about themselves in various
aspects. It helps them recognize what type of person they are,
Self-esteem what they are capable of doing, how well they can do things,
and how much recognition and acceptance they receive from
others.
The social status of a person is determined by factors such as
Socio-economic
educational level, income, occupation, place of residence,
status
race and religion.
It refers to self-description and comprises self-esteem and
self-image. It may include characteristics of one’s physical
Self-perception
appearance, personality, skills, social roles and socio-
economic status.

Concepts and Terms Explanation 1 2020 Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company Ltd.
Concepts and Terms Explanation 2 2020 Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company Ltd.
2 Rights and responsibilities of adolescents and the establishment of
values
It refers to the power and privilege that an individual or a
Right
group is justly entitled to.

It is something one is responsible for doing, which is the

proper moral behaviour of an individual. People also regard
Responsibility
the expectations on them in their job or role in life as
responsibilities.

It refers to the legal and moral responsibility of an individual

Obligation
or a group.

There are different expectations for different roles. It refers to

Role expectation the behaviour that people expect one with a particular
position should follow in a particular occasion.

They are the beliefs of an individual or a group, as well as the

Values
standards for distinguishing between right and wrong.

It refers to the media through which a huge quantity of

information is delivered to a large audience with
Mass media
communication technology such as printing, electronic and
digital technology.

The ‘new media’ refer to the media with mode of

communication through the application of computer
technology and the use of the internet or digital information
New media and entertainment that are disseminated through the Internet,
characterized by the interactivity. Common examples include
websites, online forums, social media, online games and
instant messengers, etc.

The process of people learning the socially acceptable

Socialization behaviours, social norms and roles from family, peer, school
and the media.

It refers to the conscious promotion of others’ interests at the

expense of one’s own interests. That is, people consider
Altruism
others’ well-being and happiness as more important than
those of their own.

Concepts and Terms Explanation 3 2020 Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company Ltd.
 It refers to people’s understanding of their roles in society,
Civic awareness which will affect their sense of belonging to society and their
attitude towards taking up civil responsibilities.

A value system that ascribes importance to the ownership and

acquisition of material goods, causing people to pay special
Materialism
attention to acquisition and display of goods, be unwilling to
share wealth with others as well as more dissatisfy with life.

The fixed impression of society towards males and females.

Gender
It specifies the gender’s behaviour, personalities and values
stereotype
through simplification and formulization of gender.

3 Current trends faced by adolescents and their responses

The behaviour in which people obtain and utilize products
Consumer
and services necessary for their survival, enjoyment and
behaviour
development through consumption.

Over- It refers to continuation with consumption behaviour beyond

consumption one’s financial capacity.

It is defined by WHO as ‘persistent or sporadic excessive

Drug abuse drug use inconsistent with or unrelated to acceptable medical
practice’.

Internet The overuse of the Internet that leads to high psychological

addiction dependence on it.

They refer to activities that are organized by educational

institutions or student groups during non-school hours, and
Extra-curricular are carried out either in school or out of school. Their main
activities purposes are to enhance students’ knowledge and ability, and
to provide them with entertainment, civic education and
practice.

It refers to certain specific ability required for one to survive

Life skill in society, as well as the ability to adopt appropriate means to
meet the needs and face the challenges of everyday life.

Community It refers to the behaviour and process in which members of

Involvement the community voluntarily participate in the activities and

Concepts and Terms Explanation 4 2020 Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company Ltd.
 affairs of the community, influence how it runs and share the
benefit of community construction.

The proper management of finances can prepare one for the

realization of plans in the future as well as for an emergency.
Adolescents should cultivate good habits in financial
Financial
management, including keeping track of their expenses,
management
keeping the receipts for checking, setting goals to save
money and setting spending budgets, and evaluating their
spending pattern.

Good time management can help one handle daily tasks in an

Time
organized and efficient manner. For example, one should do
management
things with plans and priorities.

People reduce their psychological reactions arising from

Emotion control events in their daily lives in order to maintain their optimistic
attitude and ease their psychological tension.

It refers to a persons’ ability to deal with unpleasant

Resilience
situations in life.

It means following the opinions of the majority or acting in

Conformity
accordance with popular trends.

Theme 2 Interpersonal Relationships

4 The development of interpersonal relationships among adolescents
Interpersonal They refer to the way or situation of people related to one
relationship another.

There are various ways to classify groups, two of which are

Formal group formal group and informal group. In formal group, personal
behaviour should be in line with the group’s goals.

There are various ways to classify groups, two of which are

formal group and informal group. In informal group, there is
Informal group
no clear position and mission among members, such as peers
and family members.

The expected behaviour associated with an individual’s

Role
identity.

Concepts and Terms Explanation 5 2020 Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company Ltd.
 Adolescents will gradually integrate into society as they
grow. During this process, they will keep exploring the
Social acceptance
concept of self. Social acceptance is greatly advantageous to
their growth.

The ‘same’ traits which a person imagines that he/she shares

Identity with others or a group, for example, the same nation, social
stratum, race and gender.

The process of people learning the socially acceptable

Socialization behaviours, social norms and roles from family, peer, school
and the media.

It means not depending on others and free from interference.

Autonomy An autonomous person has his/her own opinions and is not
controlled by others.

It refers to the differences between people of different

generations regarding their values, attitudes, living habits and
Generation gap
behaviour because of differences in the times they were born
in, the social environment and their life experiences.

It is a phrase popularly used in Hong Kong in recent years. It

refers to parents who supervise everything their children do
Helicopter
all the time, like a helicopter in the air. They intervene when
parents
their children have problems, leaving their children no
opportunities to learn how to solve problems.

Adolescents follow peers’ values in exchange for status

Pressure towards among the peers or acceptance by the peer group. They may
conformity give up their personal opinions and adopt thoughts and
behaviours which are in line with the majority.

They are the routine behaviours in daily lives and work that
Lifestyle
reflect the attitudes and values of individuals or groups.

5 Ways to handle interpersonal relationships

They refer to the contradictions, quarrels and struggles which
Interpersonal
arise from people’s failure to reach a consensus through
conflicts
communication due to differences in orientations or opinions.

Concepts and Terms Explanation 6 2020 Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company Ltd.
 It refers to the attitude and behaviour which individuals
should have in order to get on in the world, and to deal with
Integrity
people and matters. Its basic requirement is to match words
with deeds while not deceiving others.

Concepts and Terms Explanation 7 2020 Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company Ltd.
 It refers to individuals’ strong feeling that certain viewpoints
Belief are correct and we will take actions to realize these
viewpoints.

It refers to the proper respect for oneself, one’s character, and

Respect oneself
one’s conduct.

It can be done in different ways. For example, be punctual for

a date, always be polite, care about others’ feelings, mind the
Respect others
tone and content when you talk, respect others’ privacy, and
do not discriminate against others.

Individuals regard themselves as part of a group. They

Sense of
identify with the group and experience emotions of fondness,
belonging
attachment, intimacy and pride towards the group.

When individuals feel miserable and anxious in their daily

Self-defence lives, the ego triggers some behavioural patterns to protect
mechanism themselves from getting hurt by using certain psychological
strategies.

Concepts and Terms Explanation 8 2020 Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company Ltd.