Topic 9: Intimacy
Adolescents, especially those growing up in the 21st century, have a very different view regarding intimacy and intimate relationships. For example, more teens are engaging in oral sex as a result of a paradigm shift occurring in teen culture where vaginal intercourse in strictly deemed "real sex" where oral sex comes up one step short (Newcomer & Udry, 1985).
This leads to the reflection question: what is one way I may need to adjust my own perceptions of intimacy and self disclosure to better work with adolescents?
It is clear that adults and teens often have a wildy differing view of what is acceptable and what is not in regards to intimacy, as exemplified in the video below.
Teachers must understand the need to accept these differences in opinion as inherent and unavoidable; it's not as if teens will stop preferring oral sex simply because I tell them to avoid it. Thus, I must embrace the fact that my students may hold views that conflict with my personal beliefs and that these conflicts are not any particular person's fault, least of all the student.
Additional Resources
1. Article about parent-adolescent intimacy: http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1988-29253-001
2. Article about teen intimacy and condom use: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X0300137X
3. YouTube video about teen sex and dating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2ndaAnYpzM
4. YouTube video about teen pregnancy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_huMNaUQ8Q
References
Newcomer, S. F., & Udry, J. R. (1985). Oral sex in an adolescent population.Archives of Sexual Behavior, 14(1), 41-46.
Asking First, Kissing, Intimacy, Teens, Parents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOaBXLG9kvE