Travelling inside ourselves - Adolescence

“The only journey is the journey within.”

Rainer Maria Rilke 

“All wonders you seek are within yourself.”

Sir Thomas Browne

“The greatest explorer on this earth never takes voyages as long as those of the man who descends to the depth of his heart.” 

Julien Green

“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” 

Aldous Huxley 

WHO ARE TEENAGERS?

Young people in the period of adolescence are referred to as adolescents or teenagers or simply as teens.

The period of adolescence is filled with physical, intellectual, social and emotional changes. Teens discover themselves and try new relationships to the world around them. They try to establish their autonomy, they want to spend more time with their friends than with their family, they keep a diary, lock up their rooms and become more argumentative.

Most common teens problems:

Labile Emotions 

Adolescents can shift moods rapidly, vacillating between happiness and sadness, self-confidence and worry. Some of these mood changes are caused by biological sources. Moreover, complex social interactions such as conflicts with friends, school pressures and experimentation with romantic relationships can exacerbate the labile emotional state of adolescents.

Personal Identity

Adolescence is a time when teenagers begin to explore and assert their personal identities. It is common for adolescents to have an unstable sense of self and try out new personal labels and associate with various peer groups.

Peer Relationships

During adolescence, relationships with peers begin to be more important than relationships with the family. Teenagers often place a stronger emphasis on their friends’ perceptions and values. So, during the adolescence, teens might be strongly influenced by their peers’ beliefs and behaviours.

Self-centered Attitudes

It is often difficult for adolescents to look at circumstances from other people’s perspectives. This is due, in part, to their still-developing brain structures. So, adolescents can appear as self-centered and focused on their own needs without considering how those needs affect others. 

BULLYING

This is a big problem among adolescents. Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others, through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation.

Studies show that people who are abused by their peers are at risk for mental health problems, such as low self-esteem, stress, depression, or anxiety. Bullies are at risk for problems, too. Bullying is violence, and it often leads to more violent behaviour as the bully grows up.

SCHOOL PROBLEMS

The School constitutes a large part of an adolescent’s existence. School problems during the adolescent years may be the result of rebellion and a need for independence. Teenagers can manifest tensions of attending the classes, examinations and tests, fear about failure in examinations,fear about low marks, fear and concern about a future career and fear to disappoint their parents.

PROBLEMS WITH THEIR PARENTS
Teens are always rebel and argumentative with their parents because they need to find their identity. Moreover, they need more privacy, so when they are at home they tend to stay in their own rooms by themselves...

... or at the phone with their friends for hours!

Now, watch this video and give your opinion.

What do you think going through adolescence means?

What do you think will be the best thing about growing up?     

What are you not looking forward to about adolescence?

Are there any teenagers that you admire?

Are you facing any problems?

This is the link of teacher Chiara's video (see the comment below). That's great!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXVAgr8riRU

Another teacher joined us! She's a teacher of French (see her comment below) and she sent me an interesting text by a French neurologist. Here it is!

A students' drawing