Sexuality and Responsible Decision Making

Sexuality and Responsible Decision Making Lesson 1

Nothing objectifies like a Victoria’s Objectives • Explain how sexuality develops. • Identify the physical, mental/emotional and social changes that occur during adolescence. • Identify decision-making skills that promote individual, family and community health. • Summarize the advantages of seeking advice and feedback when making healthful decisions.

Ask yourself….. • What do I know? • What do I want to know? • How is this relevant to me?

Warm-up • What kinds of product advertising in magazine ads or television commercials promote products by using sexual messages?

Advertisers often try to use sexual messages to help them sell their products.

Sexuality and the Media • During adolescence, a person’s sense of masculinity or femininity develops. • In what ways does this process affect a teens self-image?

So how do people know they have all the facts? • Even though information and promotion of sex seems to be everywhere, some people feel uncomfortable talking about it.

Your Sexuality and Health • Sexuality- Everything that makes you male/female. Example: way you act, look, personality, how you feel about yourself, etc… • Your sexuality is an integral part of your health and well-being (physical, mental/emotional, and social health) Health and well being • Physical Health- Having enough energy to perform activities of daily life & to cope with everyday stresses and challenges. Getting enough sleep Exercise Proper nutrition Avoiding drugs and other substances Etc…

Your Sexuality and Health • Mental and Emotional Health- Relate to how well you adapt and adjust to your surroundings. • Have a lot of self confidence • Relate well with others • Cope well with life’s daily demands • What are ways that you can improve your mental/emotional health?

Self-concept • What is it? • The mental image you have about yourself. • There is a strong relationship between good mental health and a good self-concept • Self-concept is probably the single most important factor influencing what you do! • Why do you think that is? • Give me examples! • Read pg 5, paragraph on self-concept. Self fulfilling prophesy?

Is this true • People who respect themselves are more likely to take better care of themselves than people with low self-concepts. People who do not come from a nurturing or encouraging environment may engage in high-risk behaviors such as using alcohol or drugs. The more protective factors in a person’s life, the less likely that person is to seek love and approval by becoming involved in high-risk behaviors, such as engaging in sexual activity before marriage or the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

Learning to communicate well and to express, understand, and responsibly handle sexual feelings enhances self-concept along with mental and emotional health.

Self-Concept Activity • Students will tape the blank piece of paper to their back and then walk around to five of their peers. Their peers will then write a thoughtful, tangible, comment on the paper. The comment should be something the student likes about the other. An example of an appropriate comment is "I like the way you are always smiling" or "You are a hard worker and I really admire that."

Self-concept • Knowing what self-concept is and it powerful influence what can you do to improve your self-concept? • How can you positively help others with low self-concept? • How do you think bullying affects a persons self-concept?

Self-Concept Writing Activity • Imagine that some day you will have a child. Write a letter for that child to open when he or she reaches the age you are right now. Tell the child how you felt about yourself at this age and how those feelings changed from elementary school through middle school. Tell this child about the kinds of things you experienced that made you feel bad about yourself and about the things that made you feel good about yourself. Finally, offer some advice that will help your child have good self esteem at this age and throughout life.

Thinking Question • How can having a positive self concept help people make good decisions about drugs, sex, and other peer pressures vs. having a negative self concept?

Your Sexuality and Health • Social Health- How well you relate to friends, family, peers, work, etc… • Adolescence is a time of change people often start to evaluate their values and beliefs. • Who molds our values and beliefs?

Making Responsible Decision • A lot of tough choices when in the face of peer pressure (drugs, alcohol, sex, etc…) • When confronted with a tough decision break it down into smaller steps by using The Decision Making Model

Making Responsible Decision • State the situation • List the options • Weight the possible outcomes • H-(healthful) What are the health risks • E- (Ethical) Does this reflect what I believe in • L-(Legal) Does it break the law • P- (parental approval) Do my parents approve • Consider values • Make a decision and act • Evaluate the decision

Role Play • Get with your group and develop a short skit where a decision has to be made. Use the Decision Making Model to come up with a choice

Goal Setting • When you are faced with decisions affecting your health, dating, relationships, and sexuality having goals for the future will help you make a good decision.

Goal Setting Steps to help reach your goal • Select a goal and write it down- Make it specific and realistic • List steps to reach the goal and any obstacles- Make short term mini goals. • Identify sources of help and support- parents, friends, co-workers, etc… • Select reasonable time frame- Check progress periodically • Reward yourself after achieving your goal.

Review • Define sexuality and discuss how it develops. • Identify & appraise three areas of health that are affected by changes during adolescence. • Define self-concept and explain what influences a teen’s self-concept. • How can you apply the decision-making process to make responsible decisions?

Classwork • Select 3 goals that you want to achieve. The first goal you want to reach within the next 5 yrs. The second goal within the next 10 and the third within the next 20. Use the goal setting steps that we talked about.

Adolescence and Development Lesson 2

Intellectual Development • Until the age of 12 children think in concrete terms. They believe in only what they see. • When you reach adolescence you have bridged the gap between concrete and abstract thinking

Intellectual Development • Abstract thinking- You analyze and evaluate information and begin to draw your own conclusions. • Logical thinking- You are able to go through steps from point A and to point B • Other Higher-Level thinking- Begin to be more open minded and start seeing the finer points in an issue. You also begin to remember much more

Developing Responsibility and Relationships • As you get older its important to realize the decisions you make are the responsibility of only one person “YOU” • Another part of your development is the ability to feel empathy

Discuss • Suggest situations in which feeling empathy might help a person?

Adolescence- A Time of Change Lesson 3

Puberty • Physical, mental, and emotional change is brought about by hormones which regulate cells and organs in your body. • Reason why Puberty takes place • Puberty- Period where an individual goes from physical childhood to physical adulthood

Hormones and the Pituitary Gland • Hormones Produce structural changes including bone development, maturation of reproductive organs, and development of secondary sex characteristics

Hormones and the Pituitary Gland • The Hormone responsible for puberty changes is your pituitary gland. • Responsible for releasing HGH and other hormones that affect brain, glands, skin, bones, muscles, and other sex organs. • The pituitary glad secretes Luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormones

Hormones and the Pituitary Gland • The pituitary glad secretes Luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormones.

Hormones and the Pituitary Gland • LH- Controls the amount of testosterone. • FSH- Controls sperm production • Both control the levels of estrogen and progesterone • FSH- Causes maturation of eggs • LH- stimulates ovulation Male Female

Sexuality and Responsible Decision Making