I need help responding to this discussion board post by:

Caitlin Jennings

Caitlin Jennings - Discussion Board #6

COLLAPSE

In the course of Social and Emotional Development in Childhood, this week's assignment is based on studying and understanding the interview clips provided in the lecture forum of Dr. Laurence Steinberg discussing the role of peers in teenagers' risk-taking behavior. The links provided in the lecture forum present Dr. Laurence Steinberg's experimental research and the analysis of research related to peers or risk prevention programs for adolescents. Hence, Dr. Laurence Steinberg had an emphasis on changing the "context" for teenagers when it came to risky behavior.

The video provided in the lecture forum emphasizes the "cognitive case against abstinence education", which is provided throughout relation to risky behaviors and driving. Based on the analysis made, Dr. Laurence Steinberg argued that all adolescents contain beliefs and knowledge in regard to risky behavior, yet continue to follow through on the action to experience a sensation of thrill-seeking for arousal purposes (YouTube, 2010). The analyses made by Dr. Laurence Steinberg do fit with my own personal experiences throughout life. The analysis that fits with my own personal experiences the most would be in regard to the relations of adolescents smoking cigarettes on a regular basis. All adolescents, including myself, are told that smoking cigarettes is addictive and can lead to serious health problems. However, when I was 16 years old and began experiencing a situation that had a negative impact on my life for a long period of time, I began smoking cigarettes on a regular basis. Smoking cigarettes on a regular basis originally started through the friends that I kept, but also as a coping mechanism to overthinking or stress that I believed was a form of destressing myself. Even though I knew smoking cigarettes was addictive and could affect my health in a negative manner in the future, I continued to smoke on a regular basis and still do currently.

There is information present in Teenagers, Friends, and Bad Decisions by Tara Parker-Pope that might suggest ways to use peers in order to promote positive behavior. A significant piece of information present is that the behavior of other individuals will influence an adolescent in either a positive or a negative manner. All adolescents should be surrounded by a positive influence of individuals in order to take healthy risks instead of taking negative risks (Parker-Pope, 2011). By having individuals around adolescents who provide a good example in positive communication and encouragement, positive behavior will be promoted in order to take risks in a healthy manner compared to being peer pressured for a negative award.

References:

Parker-Pope, T. (2011, February 3). Teenagers, friends, and bad decisions. The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/teenagers-friends-and-bad-decisions/

YouTube. (2011, January 5). The Cognitive Case Against Abstinence-Only Education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl2_hjs2dt8&t=161s