Content

Identify and analyse life roles andSummary

responsibilities as: (Lesson 1)
- Student
- Member of a family
- Friend
- Partner
- Employee
- Employer
- Leader, and
- Follower, etc.
Determine the changing nature of each life role and explain how role changes affect relationships
How does society and culture influence each life role

Change is part of life and part of growing up. You are not the person you were in primary school and
you have different needs and responsibilities than you did in primary school. During your life you will
take on many different life roles at different stages. These include being a young child, student, parent,
friend, employee and many others. Each of these roles carry different responsibilities e.g. Being a
young child you were dependant on your parents. It was your responsibility to listen to your parents.

In summary, as you go through life, you have a range of roles: employee, provider, caregiver, spouse
or partner, parent, grandparent. Each of these roles comes with different expectations. Some of the
expectations/ responsibilities could be:
 Student- working hard at studies.
 Parent- responsible for looking after your children.
 Friend- listener, reliable, confidante of another friend.
 Employee- independent, can support self and take initiative.
 Bread winner- the person earning an income to provide for the family to buy groceries and
basic needs.
 Leader- make decisions and guide those that you are called to lead by giving clear instructions.

A person could have more than one role at any time. In different roles you could be:

 Dependent - you need others to help you like a newborn baby.

 Independent - you do not need others help and support
 Interdependent - you and someone else depend on one another or need each other’s
support

There are different competencies and skills that you can learn and practice to handle in the different
life roles. E.g. In your role as a family member: you could be helpful by doing chores, loving, taking
responsibility, sharing with your siblings.

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As you grow older, so your life roles will continue to change. There are times when some roles will
become less important. Example, starting a part time job, you might have less time for your friends.
Sometimes circumstances influence the change of roles. You could have a parent who gets ill and now
you have to take care of them, so you can’t take part in sport anymore.

Society and cultures often try to tell us what our roles should be and what our relationships with
others should be. Cultures also play a part in bringing on change. E.g. A Jewish boy will have a
Barmitzvah at the age of 13 which then defines him as a man. In Muslim cultures when a girl starts her
period, she is a woman and ready to be married. Even if she only starts her period at 11 years old.

Sadly, many teens have believed the lies about casual sex in friendships as well. The media has
convinced them that it is perfectly normal and acceptable. Many series on Netflix, give a distorted view
of what healthy relationships actually look like. This 90’’s show (Friends) has made a comeback and
many teens have fallen in love with the characters of the show. The show plays out to the song “I’ll be
there for you” with a promise of forever friendship.

Adolescence to adulthood: (Lesson 2)

Explain changes associated with development: Adolescence to adulthood.
Physical changes: hormonal, rapid physical growth, secondary sex/gender characteristic
Primary changes in the body: growth and maturing of genital organs (menstruation, ovulation), seed
formation, wet dreams), skin problems, increase in body odour, etc.

As you grow from an adolescent to an adult, not only do life roles change but so does your body. As
you can see from the male and female on this slide, there are some obvious changes that we can see
like getting taller. Men develop facial hair and women get some curves.

I’m sure you know a lot about these physical changes in boys and girls.
Ladies:
 Bodies get curves and hips get wider.
 Pubic hair
 Hair under arms
 Breasts start to develop.
 Skin gets oilier
 Pimples and acne on the face, back and chest.
 Let muscles get stronger and bigger
 Menstruation or periods start.
 Ovulation happens within your body producing eggs which can be fertilized.
 You can become pregnant.
Men:
 You will pick up weight
 Shoulders become wider and muscles get bigger in arms.
 Skin gets oilier
 Pimples or acne
 Develop an Adam’s Apple in your neck.
 Voice gets deeper

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  Penis gets wider and longer
 Produce sperm
 Can get an erection
 Grow facial hair and start shaving
 Increased sweating and body odour

Why do you think your body starts changing? Correct! Your body starts going through puberty. This is a
period where hormones from the brain trigger the start of puberty. Hormones are chemical
messengers that tell the body what to do.
 In males: The hormones tell the testicles to make the hormone testosterone and sperm.
 In females: The hormones tell the ovaries to make the hormone oestrogen and triggers
the growth and release of eggs.

It is a completely natural process to start experiencing all these physical changes in your body. Puberty
not only impacts an adolescent physically but also emotionally.

Watch again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KreKhckZSg

But it's important to understand what the primary changes in both the male and female body are. The
best way to remember these changes is to brainstorm on the main points or stages. Refer to your
Activity 2 (Lesson 2 – Worksheet).

Adolescence to adulthood: (Lesson 3)

 Emotional changes: Maturing personality
 Depth of emotions become more intense, mood swings, feelings of insecurity, “invincible” stage
of thinking and acting, challenge authority, changing needs in belief, values and sexual interest
 Social changes in relationships with family, social groups, need for acceptance by peer group

Watch again: https://youtu.be/du8siPJ1ZKo

We can see from this clip that as the physical changes impact your body, you experience different
emotional changes. These emotional changes could cause mood swings where you are not even sure
of why you are feeling sad. As the clip mentioned, sometimes you even make irrational decisions that
are risky. This means making impulsive decisions that are sometimes dangerous and should you take
the time to think about, you would never have chosen to do that. You feel like you’re invincible and
nothing can happen to you. E.g. a girlfriend and boyfriend wanted to spend time with one another.
They felt their parents did not approve so they ran off without telling anyone where they were. They
were missing for 2 days. The parents reported them missing to the police and school. The incident
became big as there was concerns of kidnapping as no one had heard from either one of them.
These emotions are normal, but you need to be aware about these changes to prevent accidents that
so often happen to teenagers because they feel invincible. Changes are all due to the changes that
occur in puberty.
Emotions can vary from one person to another. One of the changes that occurs is an awareness in
sexuality and sex. Most adolescents begin to think more about sex and become aware of their daily
appearance and what others think of them

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Another change that takes place in puberty, is the way you interact socially. You might have found
that your relationship with your parents has changed since you were in primary school. For years your
parents and close family members were the primary influence in your life. Now, as an adolescent, you
will find that your peers or other adults outside your family home (like your sports coach) become
important to you.

The result of these social changes often impacts the relationship between adolescents and their
parents. There is more arguing and disagreements. Parents feel disrespected and teenagers feel that
they are not heard.

As your peers become more important, you are influenced by their interests and often their behaviour.
Their opinion becomes more important than that of anyone else. This could be dangerous because
peer pressure could result in you making choices to do something you don’t really want to do but will
do to remain “in” with your friends.

Peers can also be positive. They could make you feel like you are heard, they could challenge you to
study harder or even stop you from doing something dangerous.

Watch again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O1u5OEc5eY

Adolescence to adulthood: (Lesson 4)

Identify and discuss behaviour that could lead to sexual intercourse, teenage pregnancy, sexual
abuse, and rape
• Formulate values and strategies to assist in making responsible decisions regarding sexuality and
lifestyle, e.g.:
- Respect for self and others
- Abstinence
- Self-control
- Right to privacy
- Right to protect oneself
- Right to say “No” and
- Taking responsibility for own actions

We can see that peer pressure can sometimes be the result of being in a situation where we feel
pushed into a corner. Many teenagers have been interviewed about teen pregnancy and many of them
responded by saying they didn't plan to get pregnant “It just happened” or some would say “I don’t
know what I was thinking”. It’s not that they didn’t know that unprotected sex could end up in an
unwanted pregnancy. They just ended up in a situation where feelings became more important than
reason.

Certain behaviours increase the chance of leading towards sexual intercourse and possibly teen
pregnancy. One of the known factors is drugs or alcohol abuse. Discuss the following:
 Identify why these substances could lead to an unwanted pregnancy.
 Imagine your best friend, Shelly, has told you she is going to a party at Tom’s house.
Everyone knows Tom’s parties are wild with lots of alcohol. What advice would you give
your friend to ensure she doesn’t end up in situations where she could fall pregnant? As a
group, plan a strategy to protect your friend.

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We can see that the situation is influenced by a lack of clarity that comes from being under the
influence - as the brain then does not function well. There is a lack of responsibility and lack of
inhibition. Sadly, when the drugs or alcohol wears off, you’ll remember what you did and probably feel
guilty and wonder why you did what you did.

In the case study, Sandile has chosen to abstain from sex until marriage - showing that he respects
Nelisa. He uses self-control to manage his desires and influence the decisions he makes.

Other values that would protect you from risky behaviour:

 Respect for yourself- Always treat your friends the way you would treat yourself. Look out
to protect them and don’t choose situations that would cause yourself harm.
 Abstinence- This means no sex of any kind at all until marriage. There are many that
question the value of abstinence today. However, it is still the only 100% guarantee of not
getting pregnant and contracting an STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection.)
 Self-control- means you have power over your sexual urges and needs. They don’t drive
you and rule your life. You think carefully before you do anything.
 Right to privacy- Each teenager has a right to privacy. You may keep a private journal
where you record your own feelings and urges - and all of it is private. Nobody has the
right to touch you or photograph you and make you uncomfortable.
 Right to protect yourself- You have the right to fight off sexual assault, report it and stay
away from someone who touches you inappropriately.
 Right to say No- Your body is your private property. No one has the right to force you to
do anything you don’t want to.

Adolescence to adulthood: (Lesson 5)

Elaborate on the skills required with regards to sexuality and lifestyle choices:
- Self-awareness
- Critical thinking skills
- Decision-making skills
- Problem solving skills
- Assertiveness
- Negotiation skills
- Communication skills
Critically discuss how to apply effective strategies to assist in making responsible decisions in
relation to sexuality and lifestyle choices

“What skills do you think a Grade 8 learner needs to have in order to make responsible choices that
could prevent sexual intercourse?

Firstly, you need to be self-aware- this means you need to really know yourself. You can develop self-
awareness by keeping a journal or reflecting weekly on who you are and where you are going in life?
You need to ask yourself questions. These questions are all in the context of our lesson- sexuality and
lifestyle choices. Ask yourself questions like:
 Do I want to have sex before I am married one day?
 Do I want to be a teenage parent?
 Am I a person that wants to abuse drugs and alcohol?

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These kinds of questions help you reflect on your own values and boundaries so you know why you
would say no in difficult situations. E.g. A friend invites you to a party at his house. You know you’re
the only girl invited with a bunch of boys around and no adults present. You will find it easier to say no
(to the invite) because you are self-aware and choose to be cautious.

Another skill would be critical thinking skills. This is the ability to step away from a situation and
analyse and evaluate the information. Using these skills means that you are making a logical and not
emotional or impulsive decision.

Firstly, you would weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of the decision. You would consider the
impact of your decision both now and later.

Once you have used your critical thinking skills to evaluate the best choice you will be using decision
making skills to decide the best action plan to move forward. You have researched the information,
compared the effects of your choices and chosen the best option.

Here is a simple example: In your dream of studying engineering one day. But as a Grade 10 learner,
you have realised that you struggle with mathematics and you are barely passing. Your teachers have
recommended you drop mathematics for maths literacy. You know by making this change you can’t
study engineering.
Example:
 Good choice and effect- get a tutor and help to improve your marks.
 Bad choice and effect - change subjects and loose the possibility of studying engineering.

Purpose of critical thinking:

Critical thinking helps us to better understand ourselves, what motivates us and our goals. When you
can deduce information to find the most important parts and apply those to your life, you can change
your situation and promote personal growth and overall happiness.

Sometimes making difficult decisions means having a plan. You could use your problem-solving skills by
using the followings steps:
 Describe the problem
 Suggest possible solutions
 Think about the effects of each solution
 Choose the best solution
 Act on the solution

It is important once you have made a decision, to act on your decision. This will mean that you have to
communicate your choice. Some people struggle with communicating, because they are scared of
what their friends will say. By communicating you will prevent a misunderstanding, you’re able to
communicate your honest feelings and be clear about what you will and will not do.

Being assertive means to stand up for your rights and needs. You communicate honestly, openly and
respectfully. You share how you feel, what decision you have made and express understanding of the
other person’s point of view - even if you do not agree with them. It’s important to very clearly

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communicate your decision. Saying “No” to sex needs to be clear and non-negotiable. This means you
need to face the person, use eye contact, stand with your body facing them so even your body says
”No!”

Another skill you could use in making responsible choices in negotiation skills. This means discussing
with a person until they reach an agreeable solution. This skill works well in conflict situations. It is
important to NOT respond with emotions but remain rational and listen to one another to work
together to resolve the conflict.

Adolescence to adulthood: (Lesson 6)

• Identify and discuss benefits of positive coping strategies that would enhance long-term resilience
and wellbeing
• Practice and demonstrate the problem-solving skills required in relation to sexuality and lifestyle
choices as a practical class activity
Activities can include:
• Role playing
• Scenarios
• Debates
• Or other

All these skills we discussed last week will equip you to handle difficult situations and make the best
decisions. Sometimes when we end up in stressful situations like having an oral to do for English and
you hate public speaking, we turn towards negative coping strategies to deal with the stress. These
negative strategies are not limited only to adolescents - but apply to us at any stage of our life. A
negative coping strategy could be to avoid preparing for the oral by ignoring the deadline and escaping
in a good book or watching a series. Have you ever found yourself rather cleaning up your desk and re-
organizing all your stationary before you start studying? This is called procrastination. This is another
negative coping strategy. Without dealing with the problem of the upcoming oral or study for an exam,
there is the possibility of additional stress along the way.

How would you describe a positive coping strategy?

There are many different kinds of positive coping strategies. The important thing is to find something
that works for you. But not all coping skills are created equal. Sometimes, it’s tempting to engage in
strategies that will give quick relief but might create bigger problems for you down the road. It is
important to establish healthy coping skills that will help you reduce your emotional distress or rid
yourself of the stressful situations you face. Examples of healthy coping skills include:
 Establishing and maintaining boundaries
 Practicing relaxation strategies such as deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness
 Getting regular physical activity
 Making to-do lists and setting goals

Let’s look at a model of coping strategies referred to as emotion—focused coping skills and problem-
focused coping skills.
 Problem-based coping is helpful when you need to change your situation, perhaps by
removing a stressful thing from your life. For example, if you’re in an unhealthy relationship,
your anxiety and sadness might be best resolved by ending the relationship (as opposed to
soothing your emotions).

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  Emotion-based coping is helpful when you need to take care of your feelings when you
either don’t want to change your situation or when circumstances are out of your control.
For example, if you are grieving the loss of a loved one, it would be important to take care
of your feelings in a healthy way (since you can’t change the circumstance).

Instead, it’s up to you to decide which type of coping skill is likely to work best for you in your
particular circumstance.

Remember the example referred to earlier of having to do an English oral. Let’s have a look at the ways
in which these two coping skills could help you:
 Problem-focused coping: You decide to ask for help from your teacher to help you learn how to
write a good speech and how to deliver it confidently. You practice giving your speech in front
of a few friends and family members, so you will feel better prepared to present your oral in
front of the class.
 Emotion-focused coping: You tell yourself that you can do this. You practice relaxation
exercises whenever you start to panic. And you remind yourself that even if you’re nervous, no
one else is even likely to notice.

Another well-known positive coping strategy is to have vision and set goals for where you want to be in
5 years, 10 years and 15 years’ time. If you have a goal at 25 years to have a degree and stable income,
then being sexually active in high school might impact that future goal. It is important to check that
your goal is SMART!
 Example: the goal like Esther is to abstain from sexual intercourse until she is married.
 Specific: Abstain throughout high school and focus on getting a degree after school.
 Measurable: You will see your progress in school throughout your reports. Your focus will
be on your academics and not on a physical relationship.
 Achievable: By keeping clear boundaries on relationships and where she would interact
with her boyfriend, Ester can achieve her goal if her focus is on academics.
 Realistic: It is realistic to abstain from sexual intercourse and focus on her studies.
 Time-framed: This goal starts now and continues through high school and varsity. In her
early 20’s she can re-evaluate the goal again.

Adolescence to adulthood: (Lesson 7)

Respect for diversity, e.g.
• Sex
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Lesbian
• Gay
• Bisexual
• Transgender
• Queer and
• Intersex (LGBTQI+)
• Where to find help regarding sexuality and lifestyle choices:
• Role of nutrition in health and physical activities

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In the last few years, South Africa has seen a large increase of gender-based violence (GBV). This type
of violence has impacted men and women in so many ways. We have seen an increased in assault,
sexual abuse and rape. There has also been what is called corrective rape. This refers to women or men
who have been raped, usually by people they know to try and correct their ideas around sexual
orientation. Several adolescents have struggled with the effects of corrective rape as their friends and
community could not accept their choices.

Today our focus is on how to respect everybody and every one, starting with investigating some of the
challenges the LGBTQI+ community experience in South Africa today. The aim is to understand that we
live in a diverse country and are all different, but all humans. We are embraced for being human not
for our differences.

We must understand what the following terms mean.

 Sex: either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other
living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions.
 Gender: the male sex or the female sex, especially when considered with reference to social
and cultural differences rather than biological ones.
 Sexual orientation: a person's identity in relation to the gender or genders to which they are
sexually attracted; the fact of being heterosexual, homosexual.
 Lesbian: denoting or relating to women who are sexually or romantically attracted exclusively
to other women.
 Gay: denoting or relating to men who are sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to other
men.
 Bisexual: denoting or relating to men/women who are sexually or romantically attracted to
both women and men.
 Transgender: a person whose gender identity does not correspond with the sex registered for
them at birth.
 Queer: relating to a sexual or gender identity that does not correspond to established ideas
of sexuality and gender, especially heterosexual norms.
 Intersex: The intersex definition is a person is born with a combination of male and female
biological traits.

LGBTQIA+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex,
asexual, and more.

Where do you go to if you need help? If you have questions and need to speak to somebody. It is good
to know where to find help.
 At school you could speak to a counsellor, or a teacher that you trust, even your Life
Orientation teacher.
 You could go to your local hospital or doctor for advice or support.
 There are online support groups that would also be able to assist you.
 It’s important to research and make well informed decisions.

Making healthy lifestyle choices is not only about making the correct decisions about your sexuality
and emotions. We also need to look after our bodies by exercising and eating correctly. Nutrition is the

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balanced approach to eating in a day - by ensuring that you eat a balanced diet. This means your daily
food intake includes fruit and vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, grains and lots of water.

A balanced exercise program in a week should include:

 Cardio- which gets your heartrate up and blood flowing e.g. Running
 Strength- which develops muscle strength and prevents injuries e.g. HITT at gym.
 Balance- which includes core exercises to prevent back injury and stabilise muscle
groups to prevent injury e.g. Yoga
 Stretching- after all exercise you should do 15 minutes stretching to help your muscles
recover and prevent lactic acid build up later in the day which feels like stiffness.

As we finish off these lessons in this series, hopefully:

- You will have a little bit more respect, compassion and acceptance of others who are:
 different to you.
 those questioning their sexual orientation.
- You will know where to find help regarding your lifestyle choices and sexuality.
- You will know the importance of nutrition and physical activities.

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