Why Risk It?
Source: Google Images
Sneaking out, drinking alcohol, having sex, and using drugs
are common risks that teenagers take that parents are worried about, but teens engage in other types of dangerous or risky behavior that parents are not even aware of until it is too late. The use of cell phones has become a risk of which teens and parents have becoming increasingly aware. Texting and driving has sprung numerous campaigns, including Oprah's No Phone Zone. Bullying has also taken national headlines for the damage it is causing to every individual involved.
What does it take to protect our teens? How do we know who is at risk, and who needs help? What puts a teen "at risk", and why do teens take so many risks? The home environment is a large determiner as to whether a teen is at risk. Poverty, substance abuse, and domestic violence are just a few factors that put teens at risk for emotional, social, and academic
troubles. Problems at home can overlap into school and vice versa. At risk students are also more likely to be bullies and victims bullies. Parents and the people in the teen's support system can make a huge difference in the teen's life just by paying attention, showing they care, and reassuring them that they are in their corner.
Cognitive development plays a large role in why teens take so many risks. The fact that the brain is under major construction during this time in life also plays a significant factor in teen risk taking. Reckless behavior can result in a surge of dopamine from the brain that gives the teenager a rush.
Erik Erickson, a noted developmental psychologist, states that teens must form their own clear identity during this stage of development, or they may never formulate a sense of true self. Teenagers struggle to gain and maintain acceptance from the people around them, especially their peers. If adolescents are not sure of whom they are or who they want to be, they are more likely to try things that they see other people doing instead of making sound choices for themselves. Protecting and nurturing our teenagers' emotional health is very important. Protective factors are individual or environmental characteristics, conditions, or behaviors that reduce the effects of stressful life events. These factors also increase an individual’s ability to avoid risks or hazards, and promote social and emotional competence to thrive in all aspects of life, now and in the future.
Related Links
Teens and risky behavior
http://www.risky-business-why-teens-need-risk-thrive-and-grow
Teens and Drug Abuse
http://www.life123.com/parenting/tweens-teens/drug-abuse/causes-of-teenage-drug-abuse.shtml
Erik Erickson's (1956) 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGFKAfixHJs&feature=player_detailpage
Texting and driving
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfGwmzFVgN4&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30SpScVCfAI&feature=player_detailpage
Teens and Drinking
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/teens-and-problem-drinking.htm
are common risks that teenagers take that parents are worried about, but teens engage in other types of dangerous or risky behavior that parents are not even aware of until it is too late. The use of cell phones has become a risk of which teens and parents have becoming increasingly aware. Texting and driving has sprung numerous campaigns, including Oprah's No Phone Zone. Bullying has also taken national headlines for the damage it is causing to every individual involved.
What does it take to protect our teens? How do we know who is at risk, and who needs help? What puts a teen "at risk", and why do teens take so many risks? The home environment is a large determiner as to whether a teen is at risk. Poverty, substance abuse, and domestic violence are just a few factors that put teens at risk for emotional, social, and academic
troubles. Problems at home can overlap into school and vice versa. At risk students are also more likely to be bullies and victims bullies. Parents and the people in the teen's support system can make a huge difference in the teen's life just by paying attention, showing they care, and reassuring them that they are in their corner.
Cognitive development plays a large role in why teens take so many risks. The fact that the brain is under major construction during this time in life also plays a significant factor in teen risk taking. Reckless behavior can result in a surge of dopamine from the brain that gives the teenager a rush.
Erik Erickson, a noted developmental psychologist, states that teens must form their own clear identity during this stage of development, or they may never formulate a sense of true self. Teenagers struggle to gain and maintain acceptance from the people around them, especially their peers. If adolescents are not sure of whom they are or who they want to be, they are more likely to try things that they see other people doing instead of making sound choices for themselves. Protecting and nurturing our teenagers' emotional health is very important. Protective factors are individual or environmental characteristics, conditions, or behaviors that reduce the effects of stressful life events. These factors also increase an individual’s ability to avoid risks or hazards, and promote social and emotional competence to thrive in all aspects of life, now and in the future.
Related Links
Teens and risky behavior
http://www.risky-business-why-teens-need-risk-thrive-and-grow
Teens and Drug Abuse
http://www.life123.com/parenting/tweens-teens/drug-abuse/causes-of-teenage-drug-abuse.shtml
Erik Erickson's (1956) 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGFKAfixHJs&feature=player_detailpage
Texting and driving
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfGwmzFVgN4&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30SpScVCfAI&feature=player_detailpage
Teens and Drinking
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/teens-and-problem-drinking.htm