The Introduction of SEAs Into the Curriculum of the Adolescent - Research Paper Example

? Reading critique Adolescence is the stage of psychological and physical development that occurs between puberty and adulthood, being closely associated with teen years. Biologically, it can be defined as the transition, physically, marked by puberty onset and physical growth termination. Cognitively, it can be defined as changes multidimensional and abstract thinking. This paper aims to explain the challenges of adolescence via the works selection 31 and 33, as well as issue 10. Pathognomic versus developmentally appropriate self-focus during adolescence, selection 33, by Michael L. Penn brings forward a distinction between developmentally appropriate and adaptive aspects of self focus in adolescents and the self focus maladaptive pattern manifested via clinical samples (Diessner, 2008). Whether pathological or adaptive, self-focus varies along six dimensions: valence, content, duration, intensity, consistency, and purpose. The writers describe every dimension and give an illustration of a twenty-year-old white man with suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms. The section concludes that the six self-focus dimensions and attention paid to them may serve to guide clinical interviews, catalyzing, and monitoring an adolescent’s improvement in the way he / she views themselves. William Perry, in Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development, in the College Years, contends that students in college journey via nine positions. These are in respect to moral and intellectual development (Diessner, 2008). These positions can be arranged in terms of the attitude of the student to knowledge. He grouped these positions into four categories: received knowledge or dualism, which he says are the wrong or right answers in the sky engraved on tablets of gold and known by the Authorities. Basic duality contends that every problem can be solved; therefore, the student is tasked to learn hat solutions are right. In full dualism, some authorities like philosophy and literature disagree, while others like math and science agree. Thus, the student is tasked to perceive the solution that is right and ignore the rest. The next category has to do with subjective knowledge or multiplicity. This category contends that answers are conflicting; therefore, students have to teach themselves not to trust external authority, but rather their inner voices. The positions under this category are early multiplicity that states that two kinds of problems exist: those that we know the answer to, and those whose answers we do not. Students are tasked to perceive the right solutions. The other position in this category is late multiplicity, which contains most of the problems. Each person has the right to their personal opinions, and since some problems can not be solved, whatever solution one takes does not mater. The student is tasked with “shooting the bull” (Diessner, 2008). At this moment, students may become alienated or go back to a position they were in earlier that were safer, or drop out of school. This position is especially common with fresh men. Category 3 contains positions 5 and 6 and has to do with procedural knowledge or relativism (Diessner, 2008). This category has to do with the methods of disciplinary reasoning. These methods have to do with connected knowledge, which is emphatic, and separated knowledge, which is objective. Position 5 deals with contextual relativism: all solutions that are proposed have reasons to support them and must be viewed relative to support and in the context. Some solutions, depending on context, are better than others are. The student is tasked with evaluating these solutions. Position 6 is pre-commitment. Students come to see the need of making decisions and committing themselves to these solutions. Category four deals with constructed knowledge or commitment involving knowledge integration gleaned from others via reflection and personal experience (Diessner, 2008). Position 7 involves the student making a commitment, with 8 dealing with commitment challenges as students experience commitment implications and explore the issues that have to do with responsibility. Position 9 is post-commitment, where the student comes to the realization that commitment is an unfolding ongoing and evolving activity. This journey is repeated sometimes and may be different at the same time at different stages depending on the different subjects (Diessner, 2008). One significant factor that contributes to the mental health of adolescents entails active engagement (Guest, 2011). Engagement is an activity that initiated with the goal of attaining an outcome. Two activity forms exist that tie to engagement: solitary, non-Co-operative and non-structural activities that occur normally without supervision of adults like watching TV, and those that are structured highly and collaborative under competent adult supervision. The latter is referred to as structured extra-curricular activities. Long periods spent doing unstructured activities are tied to poor psychosocial outcomes, while SEA participation is tied to positive varieties of outcomes for adolescents. An increasing number of adolescents are becoming antisocial (Guest, 2011). This behaviour has disruptive effects that not only have negative consequences on the subject adolescents, including rejection by peers and teachers, dropout, school failure, alcohol and drug abuse, and delinquency. It also acts as a threat to other student’s schooling process. SEA is a possible strategy to remedy this situation. They make adolescents build up resilience via supporting constructive performance in academics, supporting behaviours that are pro-social, and aids in subjective well-being growth. John Santrock can tie these three readings to Life-Span Development 13 Edition. The lack of SEA’s for adolescents can lead to dropping out of school, and alcohol and drug abuse (Santrock, 2004). Andrew Guest discussed this in length in issue 10. Santrock also talks about the identity crisis, claiming that adolescents try to fit different roles, seeking to make personal, sexual, occupational, and political commitments. The adolescents also struggle with negative outcomes since they are learning about the consequences of commitment. This connects to selection 31, which deals with the implication of commitments in position 8. The adolescent stars to deal with the challenges of commitment (Santrock, 2004). The argument in this book that an adolescent’s identity is made up of two parts, a commitment and a crisis, lends credence to selection 31s insistence on commitment being a main part of an adolescent’s life. In the adolescence stage, >25% of them feel hopeless and sad for a few weeks and quit doing normal activities. This may lead to depression that if unchecked may lead to suicide (Santrock, 2004). This situation ties to selection 33s illustration of the 20-year-old adolescent who committed suicide due to what was described as depression symptoms. The three readings are similar in that they all deal with adolescent crisis. Selection 31 deals with the various stages of adolescence, their challenges and the characteristics inherent to these stages, selection 33 deals with the adolescent’s self focus and the challenges that the adolescent faces due to this focus on them, whereas issue 10 deals with the difficulties faced by adolescents who are involved in activities that breed antisocial behaviour. However, while selection 31 and 33 are of the opinion that the challenges faced have more to do with this stage of life, issue 10 contends that these problems can be remedied by the introduction of SEA’s into the curriculum of the adolescent. This is the major contrast among the three readings. References Diessner, R. (2008). Classic edition Sources : Human Development, 3rd ed. Dubuque: McGraw- Hill Contemporary Learning Series. Guest, A. M. (2011). Taking sides. Clashing views in life-span development. New York: McGraw-Hill. Santrock, J. W. (2004). Life-span development. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 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