Teenagers Article

The Definition of Teenager (Adolescence)

Adolescence (lat adolescere = (to) grow) is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development that occurs between childhood and adulthood. This transition involves biological (i.e. pubertal), social, and psychological changes, though the biological or physiological ones are the easiest to measure objectively. Historically, puberty has been heavily associated with teenagers and the onset of adolescent development. In recent years, however, the start of puberty has seen an increase in preadolescence and extension beyond the teenage years, making adolescence less simple to discern.
The end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood varies by country as well as by function, as even within a single country there will be different ages at which an individual is considered mature enough to be entrusted with particular tasks, such as driving a vehicle, having sexual relations, serving in the armed forces, voting, or marrying.

Teen years are a time of growth and discovery. Understanding personality types can lead to growth and balance in life.

Teenage hormones seem to amplify the traits that once appeared cute and adorable. Here is a guide to identify some of the more common personality types as well as advice on how to work on their weaknesses.

·         Beauty Queens and Kings

Yes, there are indeed beauty kings out there. Look for those who follow fashion, wear branded clothing and spend a fortune on beauty products and treatments. Image is very important to these teens.

ATWO: (Areas to work on) Don’t neglect inner beauty and character development.

·         Flirts

Flirts are mostly female and easy to recognize. They flutter their eyes, walk in a jaunty manner and dress to attract attention. The only problem is they have little intention of settling into a relationship.

ATWO: Be careful of hurting people’s feelings.

·         Dramatics

These teens overemphasize everything and to them, nothing is ordinary. A broken nail is a total disaster and a missed bus, a tragedy. Their dramas are accompanied by expansive gestures and loud monologues.

ATWO: Try and tone it down. People get tired of excessive emotion.

·         Jocks

Every school has them; guys whose lives revolve around team sports. They hang together, have their own language, are always talking strategy and project an image of elitism.

ATWO: Realize there are other things in the world besides sport.

·         Teacher’s Pets

Also known as “suck ups”. These teens know just how to work the school system. They do their homework properly and on time. They ask questions in class and offer to help the teacher. They may even bring them an apple.

ATWO: Don’t over do it and end up alienated from class mates.

·         Emos

Short for emotional. These teens are into deep feeling and are known by their dress code. Tight black jeans and T-shirts, studded belts and black hair worn long over one eye are sure signs of an emo.

ATWO: Don’t become too exclusive and block out other groups.

·         Health Nuts

These individuals live for exercise and diet. Think gym, jogging, health food and protein shakes and that’s them in a nutshell. They wear sporty clothes and normally have loads of energy.

ATWO: Don’t become too rigid. It’s not a sin to eat chocolate occasionally.

·         Nerds

Stereotypical nerds are skinny, spotty and wear glasses. Modern day nerds often look normal but are pale from extended periods in libraries and laboratories. They are super-smart and love to engage in academic discussions.

ATWO: Don’t forget how to talk about normal things.

·         Perfectionists

Their lockers are pin-neat and their pencils are arranged by color. Their text books are stacked in alphabetical order and everything has its place.

ATWO: Relax and have some fun. Ordered isn’t always best.

·         Gossips

These are the know-alls of the school. If something’s going down, they’re the first to know about it. They have the low-down on everyone and everything.

ATWO: People don’t trust those who talk too freely.

Teen years can be difficult and most teenagers are a mix of the above types. Understanding their motivation and drive can go a long way to better communication and relationships in general. The important thing is to remember that they will grow up and things will improve.

 

Teenager's Stories: What I Learned the Hard Way about Teenage Peer Pressure

By Ashley Martin Topics: Bullying and Violence, Families and Relationships, Depression and Mental Health, Manners and Values

EduGuide challenged high school English classes to think about the advice for teenagers they would give to younger students. We asked them to write about the teenagers' problems they've experienced and "what they learned the hard way." Ashley Martin responded to the challenge. Thanks, Ashley, for being an EduGuide.

In 8th grade I became best friends with this girl named Jenny. She seemed like she would be a very good friend. I guess that's when I learned that you should never judge a book by its cover. I soon learned that she was the exact opposite of a good friend. She would put me down, say mean things about me to other people, and toward the end of our friendship she would go out with the guys that I liked. I would tell myself that she was just having a bad day or that I was just imagining things. We did have a lot of fun together although, through teenage peer pressure, I mostly got in trouble with her. Every day my self esteem would be lowered in some way by her.

Teenage Peer Pressure Can Be Dangerous to Your Health

She would tell me that I looked like a hippo in my clothes and that I needed to lose a lot of weight because I was fat. She would try and get me to starve myself. She got mad when I wouldn't listen to her, so finally I just gave up and did what she wanted because I wanted my best friend to be happy. I only managed to starve myself for a week. Starving yourself is very unhealthy it causes you a lot of problems. Jenny ended up in the hospital after two months of starving herself. She couldn't smell food without getting sick. You should never give in to what your friends tell you to do if there's any doubt in your mind that it can hurt you or that it's wrong. She would also tell me that she only would hang out with ugly people to make her look better than she already did.

Friend's Adolescent Problems Made Me Want to Give Her another Chance

Eventually I stopped hanging out with her so much. I would only talk to her about once a month if that. My self esteem was gradually increasing. I started hanging out with better friends. I was doing well. Then, she called me and told me that she was pregnant. I thought that she had changed. She was naming me as the godmother, so I started hanging out with her again. Things were good for awhile. She gave birth to her son. I loved him to death. For the first couple of weeks I was at her house every day to help take care of him. The only problem was that I stopped going to school.
Then I started going back to school a couple of months later. She started talking about me behind my back. The only time she would call me was to ask if I would watch the baby for her. She started to go back to my school. She knew that I had a crush on this guy. She started to flirt with him and the next week he was her boyfriend. It was horrible. I just couldn't take it anymore. I finally gave up on being her friend. The only reason I talk to her once in a while now is so that I can see my godson. I learned my lesson; you should never be friends with someone that is going to put you down all the time! If this or something similar is going on with you, ask yourself: is it worth feeling bad about yourself just to be friends with someone who doesn't deserve your friendship?

Qualities to Look for in Teenagers' Relationships

Here is a list of qualities that that you should look for in your friends and offer to your friends in return.

• Trustworthiness. If you have trustworthy friends, then life is a lot easier for you. It's a lot better not having to worry about who your real friends are and aren't.
• Honesty. You don't want a friend who is always going to lie to you. You want someone that you can be real with and them with you in return.
• Respect. You want a friend who will respect who you are.
• Acceptance. You want a friend who isn't going to try and change the person that you are.
• Someone you can count on. You want a friend that you know will always be there for you through good and bad.

Ashley Nicole Martin is a junior at Volinia Outcomes School. The experiences that she has talked about have made her a better person. She has a lot of great friends now and she has come to love school again.

The analysis of the article:

Developing socially as a teenager

For teenagers, one of the most important developments is the creation of a social life as they acquire views different from those of their families. New friends allow for the development of new ideas in addition to the social support teenagers need through adolescence. But for all of the positive qualities of good friendships, there are just as many stressors and negatives associated with seeking out a peer network.

One study reports that teenagers, who experience fighting during friendships, as well as stressful relationships, are more likely to be depressed - especially for teen girls.

According to “Gender, Social-relationship Involvement, and Depression,” published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence. Author Susan Gore and colleagues interviewed 1,208 high schoolers about depression and stress in their lives.

The study’s results showed girls experience more depression in interpersonal areas like negative friend events, relationship problems, friend support, and family events. Depression in boys, on the other hand, was more related to personal stress like failing a test or not making a sports team.The study also noted some teenagers are more likely to have strong caring personalities, and involve themselves heavily in their friends' lives. When a friend is experiencing a difficult time and is depressed, a teen with a strong caring personality might put himself or herself in the friend's situation.

We can take a look at the article above that “I” is affected by Jenny who is her best friend. For example, when Jenny said that “I” looked like a hippo which it was indirectly Jenny thought her as a fat and ugly girl. And “I” believed in what Jenny said and did what Jenny told her to do even though it harmed her health. She did everything for Jenny, in order to be accepted as a friend. Because for teenagers, to be accepted in social life is very important.

Self-esteem and depression

The study, “Risk Factors for Depression in Early Adolescence,” published in Adolescence, sampled 2,014 teenagers to determine what was most likely to cause depression in teens, from negative life events, to family issues and conflict. After examining these potential causes, researchers found self-esteem counted for 31% of depression in the teens, far greater than any other risk factor. And a number of factors lead to low self-esteem, such as poor social integration.

Poor social integration and teenage depression

Acceptance into a peer group has a significant effect on the psychological development of a teenager, according to “Adolescent Peer Relations, Friendships, and Romantic Relationships: Do They Predict Social Anxiety and Depression,” published in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. And for those rejected by peers, risks for depression increase dramatically.

The study, conducted by Annette M. La Greca and Hannah M. Harrison, surveyed 421 teenagers and found peer victimization and negative interactions in friendships were the greatest predictors of depression. Peer victimization goes beyond schoolyard bullying and overt aggressiveness. In fact, the most damaging victimization is often the least noticeable.

La Greca and Harrison found that relational victimization, or bullying such as rumor spreading, friendship withdrawal and social exclusion was not only more common than overt aggressiveness, but also had greater effects on depression.

Respect each other is an important matter in friendship, on that way there will be no side that feel pressured to be someone else instead to just be himself/herself. So, it won’t make any violence to the self esteem.

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