PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

PAVIA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Evangelista St., Pavia Iloilo
5001 Philippines
“QUALITY EDUCATION OUR PRIDE”

“The troubles of adolescents eventually all go away- it’s just like a really long, bad
cold.” –The fantastically beautifully kind-hearted Dawn Ruelas, 2002

LESSON 4.2 CHALLENGES AND ISSUES AMONG ADOLESCENTS

It is wise to know yourself, but it is wiser to know your enemy- your weaknesses, vulnerability and
imperfections. You cannot run away forever. It is more courageous to face so you could grow into better
individuals for your sake and others.
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• PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
Adolescents fresh off puberty or still going through it, face a lot of changes regarding their
physical appearance. Add that to the variety of new emotions, sensations and perceptive abilities and
one would be able understand why adolescents were conscious of their looks.
It is not rational to compare yourself to other people because as mentioned earlier –everyone
has his or her own pace-be it physically, mentally or psychologically.
During the age of being conscious of one’s physical appearance, an individual tries a lot of
physical modifications to figure out what fits his or her preferences most. Do not be someone following
another person’s identity completely. BE YOUR OWN SELF. It takes time.

• IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT
It was said that you were to force an apple to be an orange, we cannot expect it to succeed. If
you are symbolically an apple, be the best apple that you can be. If others want to be orange, melon or
mangoes, it should not affect you. This is your life so live it the best as you can.
You should also monitor yourself for behaviors that might go over the top. It is not enough to
have knowledge but it will ensure victory if you apply it as well. You have formal operations at this
point. Internalize it so it manifests to your behavior.

• GENDER IDENTITY
You need to know what your gender orientation is personally. Self-betrayal is a silent chain that
weighs down on your potential. It acts as a big wall from being the best person you can ever achieve.
As it goes well in identity development, it helps an adolescent more to be true to himself or
herself. Do not depend on other people’s demand and expectations. Instead develop your own. Be
brave. Do not look up to the stars but aim on being your own light. It might be your vaccine
against low self-esteem.

• SOCIAL COGNITION: PERSONAL FABLE AND IMAGINARY AUDIENCE

Adolescents oftentimes go through social cognition such as personal fable and imaginary
audience. The adolescent believes on having an imaginary audience- that a group of followers exist
to continuously watch and judge every move, verbalization and public or personal behavior. This
relates, like personal fable, to the bigger concept of adolescent egocentrism.
The personal fable is an adolescent belief that he or she is highly special and unlike anyone
else who has ever walked on earth. In other words, the adolescent thinks that because others could be
so obviously amazed by him or her. It is a developmentally normal cognitive limitation.
The personal fable may be detrimental to one’s well-being that is why it is it helps to know
about it ahead of time for due self-reflection and self-assertion. Adolescents with strong personal fable
feel highly special, they tend to feel invincible which results to trying dangerously risky behaviors such
as unprotected sex, substance abuse and breaking the law.
Having high self-esteem, however does not equate with high belief of the personal fable.

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 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

• IMPULSIVITY AND RISK-TAKING OR THRILL-SEEKING BEHAVIORS

The effects of adrenaline complement the effects of increased testosterone and estrogen. From
a physiological perspective, this explains why risk-taking behaviors that involve high levels of these
hormones are also high. Impulsivity and thrill-seeking behaviors also happen during these times.

• SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
As testosterone and estrogen get introduced to our bodies, all our organ systems get affected.
Your anxiety levels increase with your libido. Your emotions get spikier- mood swings, amplified
intensity, streaks of high imaginations and fantasies all ride along the other things that are developing-
cognitive, mental, intellectual and logical abilities.
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 the only things that make you human. You also have your free-
willed, logical circuit-your personal human brain. All mammals get hit by hormonal rushes but our
logic and intellect and our free will sets us apart from them.

• ANTI SOCIAL AND DELIQUENCY BEHAVIORS

Anti-social individuals are usually known to be delinquent and guiltless. They are also avid
manipulators, getting what they want to the cost of others.
Anti-social behavior was studied to root from personal, interpersonal and family functioning as
related to delinquent behaviors. A biological parent that maladaptively parents a child through
delinquency and anti-social behavior would likely to pass the same nature and nurture factors to the
child
Malcognitions and emotional impairments can also cause a great deal of damage to the
individual’s psyche. These manifest more obviously as the child ages.
Delinquency and anti-social behaviors are beyond the managing skills of adolescents. It requires
professional psychotherapeutic aid.

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