MODULE 4: The Challenges of Middle and Late
Adolescence
Reading: THE PASSAGE TO ADULTHOOD: CHALLENGES
OF LATE ADOLESCENCE
Physical Development
 Most girls have completed the physical changes
related to puberty by age 15.
 Boys are still maturing and gaining strength, muscle
mass, and height and are completing the
development of sexual traits.
Emotional Development
 May stress over school and test scores.
 Is self-involved (may have high expectations and low
self-concept).
 Seeks privacy and time alone.
 Is concerned about physical and sexual attractiveness.
 May complain that parents prevent him or her from
doing things independently.
 Starts to want both physical and emotional intimacy
in relationships.
 The experience of intimate partnerships
Social Development
 Shifts in relationship with parents from dependency
and subordination to one that reflects the
adolescent’s increasing maturity and responsibilities
in the family and the community,
 Is more and more aware of social behaviors of friends.
 Seeks friends that share the same beliefs, values, and
interests.
 Friends become more important.
 Starts to have more intellectual interests.
 Explores romantic and sexual behaviors with others.
 May be influenced by peers to try risky behaviors
(alcohol, tobacco, sex).
Mental Development
 Becomes better able to set goals and think in terms of
the future.
 Has a better understanding of complex problems and
issues.
 Starts to develop moral ideals and to select role
models.
8 simple rules which could help become a responsible
adolescent prepared for adult life:
1. Focus on your studies and do well in all your
endeavors. There is a time for everything.
2. Take care of your health and hygiene. Healthy body
and mind are important as you journey through
adolescence.
3. Establish good communication and relation with your
parents or guardian. Listen to them. Though this may be
easier said than done at this stage, but creating good
relationship with them will do you good as they are the
ones you can lean on especially in times of trouble.
4. Think a lot before doing something. Evaluate probable
consequences before acting. Practice self-control and
self-discipline.
5. Choose to do the right thing. There are plenty of
situations in which it is better to use your mind rather
than your heart.
6. Do your best to resist temptations, bad acts, and
earthly pleasures and commit to being a
responsible adolescent.
7. Respect yourself. You are an adult in the making.
Do not let your teenage hormones get into you. If
you respect yourself, others will respect you too.
8. Be prepared to be answerable or accountable for
your actions and behavior. It is part of growing up
in becoming an adult.
Reading: ENCOURAGEMENT 101: The Courage to Be
Imperfect by Timothy D. Evans, Ph.D.
Encouragement is the key ingredient for improving your
relationships with others. It is the single most important skill
necessary for getting along with others – so important that the
lack of it could be considered the primary cause of conflict and
misbehavior. Encouragement develops a person’s psychological
hardiness and social interest. Encouragement is the lifeblood
of a relationship. And yet, this simple concept is often very
hard to put into practice.
Encouragement is not a new idea. Its spiritual
connotation dates back to the Bible in Hebrews 3:11
which states “Encourage one another daily.”
Encouragement, as a psychological idea, was developed
by psychiatrist Alfred Adler in the early 20th century and
continued to evolve through the work of Adler’s follower
Rudolph Dreikurs. However, even today, relatively few
educators, parents, psychologists, leaders or couples
have utilized this valuable concept. Most of the time,
people mistakenly use a technique like praise in an effort
to “encourage” others.
Half the job of encouragement lies in avoiding
discouraging words and actions. When children or
adults misbehave, it is usually because they are
discouraged. Instead of building them up, we tear
them down; instead of recognizing their efforts and
improvements, we point out mistakes; instead of
allowing them to belong through shared decisionmaking and meaningful contributions, we isolate
and label them.
Most of us are skilled discouragers. We have
learned how to bribe, reward and, when that fails,
to punish, criticize, nag, threaten, interrogate and
emotionally withdraw. We do this as an attempt to
control those we love, bolstered by the mistaken
belief that we are responsible for the behavior of
everyone around us, especially our spouses and
children. These attempts to control behavior create
atmospheres of tension and conflict in many
houses.
Most commonly, we discourage in five general ways:
 We set standards that are too high for others to meet
because we are overly ambitious.
 We focus on mistakes as a way to motivate change or
improved behavior.
 We make constant comparisons (self to others,
siblings to one another).
 We automatically give a negative spin to the actions
of others.
 We dominate others by being overly helpful, implying
that they are unable to do it as well.
Encouragement is not a technique nor is it a special language
used to gain compliance. Encouragement conveys the idea that
all human beings are worthwhile, simply because they exist.
Encouragement develops children’s psychological hardiness -their ability to function and recover when things aren’t going
their way. Encouragement enhances a feeling of belonging
which leads to greater social interest. Social interest is the
tendency for people to unite themselves with other human
beings and to accomplish their tasks in cooperation with
others. The first step to becoming an encouraging person is to
learn to distinguish encouragement from discouragement.
Evaluation of an Adolescent’s Development
through the Significant People in their Lives
Society plays a huge role in molding teens’ behavior,
character, and attitude. It determines how they see
other people, their general outlook, and their ethics.
Parents, and other family members, can also influence
all these things, but the things that will remain with the
kids for the long term are learned from society. Now
society comprises of a lot of different things that include
media, neighborhood, laws, and school.
How do the people around you affect your
life?
POEM ON HOW TEENAGERS’ LIFE MIGHT BE
LIKE
This poem might give you a wider perspective
on how adolescents mature and grow.
“The Teenage Years” by: Sarah Gray
We learn from our mistakes,
from the wrong turns we take,
from the fake friends we make,
and from the times we almost break.
Our mistakes help us grow,
but at the time, we didn’t know.
We didn’t want our weakness to show.
At the time, we couldn’t let them know.
Our fake friends were there
but they didn’t actually care.
Our secrets they would share,
and now as they pass, they just stare.
Not breaking means you’re strong.
You’d know where you went wrong,
as if you weren’t waiting so long
to explain yourself, but stay strong.
So here’s the liars and traitors,
all the wannabes and haters,
learning from our mistakes,
and learning to spot the fakes.
Here’s to being a teen,
Live it up, ‘cause we’re living the dream
Instruction: Answer the following questions.
1.Why do you have to make good choices when you are
preparing for adult life?
2. Explain each of the 8 simple rules which could help
teenagers become a responsible adolescent prepared for
adult life in one sentence.
3. How will you ease the transition of being an
adolescent into becoming an adult?