Problems Teenagers Face Essay, Research Paper

Problems Teenagers Face

Acquiring an Identity and establishing self-esteem are two of the biggest obstacles that teenagers face. As children mature, they view themselves in more complicated ways. By the time they mature into teenagers they are able to give detailed psychological descriptions of themselves. Consequently, they become more interested in understanding their own personalities and why they behave the way they do. During the period of adolescence, feelings towards oneself change. Nonetheless, as individuals become more and more confident their self esteem increases.

Most teenagers go through periods when they are unsure of who they truly are. When they reach adulthood it is more likely that these young adults have a better sense of their real personality then someone who didn t go through this struggle. This is mostly do to the fact that if you have this problem at some point you tend to study who you really are and in the end know yourself better. A child who is popular is much less likely to go through this issue.

As children get older and begin high school there is an increased importance of friends. As teenagers begin trusting and telling secrets to their friends, their relationship gains a sense of loyalty and obligation. When a teenagers finds him or herself thinking like a someone else it develops into a friendship.

If a strong bond occurs with someone normally of the opposite sex dating might occur. Dating is a very loose word which can mean many different things. It can mean going out in a group to have fun, going out in a group to get to know each other, or just two people going out to see a movie. After feelings have grown between two people they sometimes experiment sexually with each other.

Most teenagers’ first practice with sex does not involve another person. Many young adults have sexually related fantasies about someone they know (or someone they don t know for that matter). It is also fairly common for adolescents to masturbate.

When many adolescents have reached high school, they have had some experience with intimate sexual contact, such as kissing, caressing, or sexual intercourse. In the 80 s it was common to become sexually active young, however now it seems as though that rate is slowing down. Judaism and many other religions look down on sexual activity or anything of that nature before marriage. Sexuality is only one of the main issues that high-schoolers face.

Another main concern in a teenager s life is school. The school day and the school atmosphere is much more treacherous then it was in elementary school. When they were younger children very few classrooms and they were taken care of by one or two teachers. In high school, children tend to have a different teacher for each subject. This puts a huge strain on kids.Also, in elementary school, children work with their teachers all day. Once they are in Junior high they need to learn how to manage their time alone.

This can put a huge dent in people self esteem. Because they are so stresses their interest in other things may decline which only makes the situation worse. The only way to try to avoid this is to prepare ahead of time for it. That way you will expect it and be ready for the change.

Another huge problem that teenagers face is alcohol and drug abuse. Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are big issues in many schools. Adolescents tend to experiment to fit in with their friends. Teenagers may see smoking or drinking a gateway to popularity. There are many more reasons as to why children try drugs, alcohol, and cigarrettes, but that is one of the immense reasons

Establishing a sexual identity is another huge concern in the eyes of teenagers. Sexual identity mainly means who you are attracted to (Same/Opposite sex). People whose own sex appeals to them are called homosexuals/lesbian. People who are attracted to the opposite sex are called heterosexual.

When most children enter high school they are spending most of their time with the same sex. An outcome to this would be that many adolescents begin to experience sexual feelings before they come close to anyone of the opposite sex. This only means that their sexual development is beyond their social development. This isn t always an obstacle but it is something all maturing teenagers face.

Eating disorders is one of the most serious obstacles that teenagers face. Some adolescents, especially females, become so concerned about weight and their looks that they take drastic and dangerous measures to remain thin. The most common practice of this is causing yourself to throw up.This is called bulimia. Young women with a disorder called anorexia nervosa starve themselves to keep their weight low. These people view themselves as overweight when they are actually thin. Bulimia and anorexia nervosa are uncommon until one is a teenager and after one is 21.

Their are many issues that teenagers face and they all, in one way or another, effect that child s self esteem. Almost every aspect of maturing for a teenager can cause stress. It is a very sensitive and important time for all human beings.Every year more and more is being done to prevent the stress we face but there is still much more work to be done.