Adolescent Psychology

ONLINE COURSE ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY  Home Study School -Self Paced Teenage Behaviour Course

" The online courses are very easy to use and follow. Prompt friendly replies from tutor to any queries. Course structure flows freely. Very satisfied with course and results..."
- Diana (completed ACS Online course in Intro to Psych and Psych & Counselling)

• Learn what causes teenagers to think and behave as they do
• Explore the way psychology develops though the teenage years
• Build your skills to work with adolescents a counsellor, youth worker, teacher

Adolesecence is often a very challenging time for both children and adults. Therefore, the study of the transition from childhood to adulthood has become an area of interest to psychologists and counsellors, as well as parents and teachers, as a means of understanding the emotional, physical, and psychological changes which take place at this important stage of an individual's development.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • What is adolescence
   • Piaget's Theories of Development
   • Eriksons Psycho Social Stages, etc
2. Life Crises
   • Puberty
   • Attachment Theory
   • Types of Problems, etc
3. Physical Development
   • What is Puberty
   • Puberty in Females
   • Puberty in Males
   • Hormonal Control of Puberty
   • Factors Affecting Age of Puberty
   • Obesity, etc
4. Intellectual Development
   • Piaget's Formal Operations Stage
   • Cognitive Development and Behavioural Changes
   • School Problems
   • Information Processing
   • Decision Making
   • Brain Development
   • Assessing Intelligence, etc.
5. Emotional Development
   • Fraud's Theories
   • Emotional Problems
   • Depression
   • Eating Problems
   • Role of the Family
   • Grief and Teenagers
   • Typical Childhood Response to Grief
   • Supporting a Grieving Child
6. Sexuality
   • Aquisition of Gender Identity
   • Sex Role Identity
   • Vicarious Learning and Sexual Identity
   • Gender Identity Disorders
   • Curiosity
   • Homosexuality
   • Sexual Behaviour
   • Nudity, etc
7. Social Development
   • Family Influence
   • Denigration of Parents
   • Influence of Peers
   • Popularity
   • Shyness
   • Dating, etc
8. Moral Development
   • Piaget's Theory of Moral Development
   • Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Reasoning
   • Role of Family in Moral Learning
   • Other Factors Affecting Moral Development, etc.
9. Delinquency and Crime
   • Pathways to Delinquency
   • Gangs
   • Case Studies
   • Behavioural Problems (Drugs, etc)
   • Child Abuse, etc.
10. Adolescents and the Transition to Adulthood
    • Transition to Adulthood
    • Career Development, etc.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Develop an understanding of the theories of child development in relation to adolescents.
• Develop an understanding of life crises in relation to adolescents.
• Develop an understanding of the physical changes that occur in puberty.
• Develop an understanding of the intellectual changes that occur in adolescence.
• Develop an understanding of the emotional development that occurs during adolescence.
• Develop an understanding of sexuality during adolescence
• Develop an understanding of the social development that occurs in adolescence.
• Develop an understanding of the theories of moral development in relation to teenagers.
• Consider the links between adolescence and delinquent activity such as crime.
• Develop an understanding of the changes that occur moving from adolescence to adulthood.

Some Sample Course Notes -

Physical Activity

Physical activity during adolescence can contribute to the development of a healthy adult life style. Physical activity is an important component of our daily expenditure of energy. This can include walking, housework, leisure time and so on. The UK Department of Health recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise five or more days a week. In England, for example, rates of physical activity are low across virtually all sections of the adult population, amongst some groups of children and notably teenage girls. The British Nutrition Foundation advises that there are concerns about the activity levels of children in England. Children tend to be more active than adults, but many are not taking part in enough exercise to be good for their health. The Health Survey for England(2002) found –

*70% of boys aged 2 – 15 years achieved at least 60 minutes activity on all 7 days.

*Only 61% of girls in the same age group achieved this level.

*As girls reach 15, this level tends to fall.

*17% of boys and 22% of girls are inactive and achieve less than 30 minutes activity a day.

This has possibly lead to the increased prevalence in obesity in children.

Children and young people are recommended to exercise in at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity activity every day. This can increase their muscle strength and flexibility and improve bone strength.

There is strong scientific evidence that physical activity benefits well being and is important for good health. This can help reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. Physical activity can have long term benefits in terms of breast cancer and bone health. It can also remove the habit of sedentary behaviours. Self-esteem can also be positively affected by physical activity during adolescence. This has been found irrespective of age, gender, socioeconomic status and stage of life. So physical activity has been found to have beneficial effects on –

Disease prevention

Cardiovascular disease

Type 2 Diabetes

Breast cancer

Bone health

Promotes strength

Promotes coordination and balance

Obesity

Obesity

Lack of physical activity is an important factor in the increasing prevalence of obesity. Any movement expends energy, so contributes to the energy balance. Maintaining activity during your life prevents obesity.

If you are interested in studying how the human mind develops within children and adults, you may also be interested in –

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=359Introduction to Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=485 Social Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=509Abnormal Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=460 Animal Behaviour

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=362 Child Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=510 Developmental Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=392 Educational Psychology

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=503Multicultural Awareness

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=515Psychological Assessment I

http://www.acsedu.com/Courses/product.aspx?id=363Sports Psychology