Home Study Teenage Psychology
Learn about the adolescent mind; what they think, and why they think as they do
Course Structure
The course consists of ten lessons including –
1. Introduction – Theories of Human Development – What is adolescence? Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development, The stages of Piaget’s theories, moral development, Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, stages.
2. Life Crises – Life crisis, problems, puberty, attachment theory, internalised and externalized problems , types of problems experienced by adolescents.
3. Physical Development – puberty in females, puberty in males, hormones, physical activity, obesity.
4. Intellectual Development – Piaget’s formal operations stage, school problems.
5. Emotional Development – Freud’s theories, emotional problems, teenagers and grief, eating problems, depression, emotional problems, typical childhood responses to grief, supporting a grieving child.
6. Sexuality – acquisition of gender identity and social role identity, vicarious learning and sexual identity, gender identity disorders, curiosity, sex, sexual behaviour, masturbation, sexuality and nudity, answering questions.
7. Social Development - family influence, types of parenting, denigration of parents.
8. Moral Development – Piaget’s theory of moral development, Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning.
9. Delinquency and Crime – juvenile delinquency, pathways to delinquency, gangs, crimes more likely in adolescence, behaviour problems, drugs, solvents and alcohol, child abuse, triggers of abuse, stranger abuse, how to deal with deviance.
10. Adolescents and the Transition to Adulthood – Erikson’s later stages – the transition to adulthood.
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.
Duration: 100 hours
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.
Extract from Course Notes:
Understanding Puberty
Puberty is a period where a sequence of physical changes associated with maturation occur rapidly. The process has not been studied and understood fully. We will cover the physical changes that occur in puberty in more detail in the next lesson.
These changes occur to:
- The Endocrine system
- Body Fat
- Weight
- Leptin –a hormone that may signal the start and ongoing development of puberty
- During puberty there is more rapid growth, sexual developments (eg. Growth of pubic hair, breasts in girls etc), change in voice.
- Many psychological changes accompany puberty:
- Parents and friends begin treating you differently
- Growing consciousness about body image
- Changes in hormone concentrations contribute to and increase in variable and negative emotions
- Girls are commonly upset (even if only slightly) by their first period
- Individuals who confront puberty earlier or later than their peers may perceive themselves differently.
This course offers opportunity to understand these changes, and consider options for dealing with the adolescent, whether as a professional, or even simply as a friend or parent.
More Sample Course Notes -
Adolescence is a time of rapid change and development. Some of the issues considered in the course relate to school problems and eating problems. These can be a cause of concern for parents, teachers and the teenager themselves.
"School Problems
School problems can also be due to emotional and intellectual problems, but as it can also be related to rebellion against authority, we will discuss it further here.
Refusal to go to school can be due to a number of problems –
Some children may be perfectionists. They may become depressed and unsettled if they do not do as well as they expect to.
They may have a disturbed family life due to various factors, such as loss of a parent through death or divorce, parental relationship difficulties and so on.
They may experience difficulties being separated from their parents.
Their school problems may be an established pattern. Some children may have established a pattern of missing school early in life. They may often have physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches.
Some teenagers may go to school, then play truant. This is usually because they are unhappy at home and frustrated at school. They may want to spend their days with others who feel the same way.
Emotional problems can affect school work. It can make it hard to concentrate. They may have worries about themselves, about home, pressure to do well, pass exams and so on. They may want to do well and push themselves. But excessive nagging and pushing can be counter-productive. Whilst exams are important, they should not be allowed to dominate the teenager’s life or cause them unhappiness.
Another problem is bullying. Around 1 in 10 secondary school children is bullied at some point, 1 in 20 every week.
Eating Problems Weight can be a problem. If an adolescent is overweight and made fun of, they are more likely to dislike themselves and become depressed. This can lead to inactivity and comfort eating, which makes the weight problem worse. It is important to ensure that adolescents are happy with themselves, whatever their appearance.
Many adolescents diet. Only a few will develop serious eating disorders – around 1% of teenagers develop anorexia, 2% bulimia. But, these are more likely to occur in children who have taken up serious dieting, think little of themselves, are under stress and have been overweight as a child." (taken from the Adolescent Psychology course).
EXAMPLE ASSIGNMENT
1. Write a brief summary of your findings for the set task – around 500 words.
2. Define adolescence, teenager and puberty. (one sentence each)
3. Briefly summarise Piaget’s and Erikson’s theories. (Up to 150 words each)
4. What are the differences between Piaget’s and Erikson’s theories in relation to adolescence? (Present as lists of concise points in 2 columns)
Commonly Asked Questions
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.
Can I See Sample Course Notes?
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.
What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”
How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.
Is this the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk
Recognition and Accreditation
For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.
Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
- If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
- If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
- If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
- There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process. You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above. You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
