ST.
JOHN’S ENGLISH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR COLLEGE
ENGLISH PROJECT
ADOLESCENT PHASE
GROUP MEMBERS:
Durga Dharshini.M[12225]
Jenisha Olive Sylvia.M[12228]
Michelle Petrosa.J[12234]
Shivani Sri.D[12240]
Swetha.E[12243]
X11-B
TABLE OF CONTENTS
[Link] TOPIC PAGE
NUMBER
1. Certificate of completion
2. Acknowledgement
3. Statement of purpose
4. Action Plan
5. Materials : Process and Progress
6. Introduction
7. Physical changes and body image issues
8. Anger and stress in teens
9. Family Dynamics and growing apart
10. Capacity of self-direction
11. Coping with anxiety, Depression &Health
Struggles
12. Impact of social media and technology on
adolescent life
13. How adolescent manage stress or
emotional ups and downs
14. Essay
15. Photographs
16. Reflection
17. Bibliography
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to extend our sincere and heartfelt
gratitude to our Senior Principal Mrs. Anita Edison, Principal, Vice
Principal and all supervisory heads for providing us with all the
facilities that were required.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our English teacher Mr. Lalith
Sriram who helped us in finalizing the project within the limited time
frame. We would also like to thank our parents and friends who
helped us a lot in the completion of the project and a hearty thanks to
the CBSE Board which gave us an opportunity to do the project.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of this project is to understand the adolescent phase of human
development and study the physical, emotional, and psychological changes
experienced during this period.
Our objective is to analyse the major challenges faced by adolescents, including
physical changes during puberty, academic and social stress, and the growing
impact of social media on mental health and self-image. These aspects have
been studied with the help of statistical data collected through a survey.
This project is based on the analysis of responses gathered from adolescents,
which helps in understanding common issues such as stress, anxiety, body
image concerns, peer pressure, and excessive social media usage. The collected
data is represented using charts, graphs, and percentages for better
interpretation.
The project aims to highlight how adolescence is a crucial phase that shapes
personality, confidence, and emotional well-being. By analysing the statistics,
we identify patterns in stress levels, screen time, and their effects on academic
performance and mental health.
Understanding adolescents’ challenges can help parents, teachers, and schools
create a more supportive environment. Appropriate strategies can be designed to
reduce stress, promote healthy social media habits, and support overall physical
and emotional development
ACTION PLAN
As a team, we made a group decision, and with ideas and an outline of the
project, we agreed on the topic of adolescent’s phase with mutual consent and
selected specific topics.
We divided the topics according to our team members' interests, and everyone
received two topics each.
After conducting a survey and examining and gaining a better understanding of
the topic, we began writing and represented the survey on pie charts.
As a group, we reviewed all the work, verified it, and shared our corrections and
ideas with the help of our teacher for feedback.
We compiled this on MS Word as the collective effort of the team and printed
hard copy has been evenly shared among all members.
This collaborative approach ensured a comprehensive and cohesive project
outcome, reflecting the collective dedication and synergy of our team.
MATERIALS – PROCESS AND PROGRESS
This project explores the topic of adolescence, drawing on survey participation
from peers to facilitate understanding and relate to shared experiences. The
presentation is organized into three main sections: the content overview, the
comprehensive essay examining adolescence, personal values, and identity
development, and the use of surveys to support and visually illustrate key
points.
The subtopics and accompanying essays are based on insights gathered from
participants' survey responses, complemented by authoritative scientific
research. These sources have informed our analysis and enriched our
presentation.
The survey questions were developed in relation to the topics of interest:
In connection with "Family Dynamics and Growing Apart," we asked
whether parents allow adolescents to self-direct.
Regarding "Coping with Anxiety, Depression, and Mental Health
Struggles," we inquired about the influence of social media, given
studies indicating higher depression rates among today’s youth and its
possible role.
To better understand stress management, we surveyed adolescents aged
13 to 19 about how they handle emotional fluctuations.
This organized approach aims to provide a better understanding of the topic
ADOLESCENT PHASE
INTRODUCTION
Adolescence is a very special stage in our life. It’s the time when we are not
kids anymore but not fully adults too. We start feeling new emotions, facing
new thoughts, and trying to understand who we really are. Sometimes it feels
confusing, but it’s also exciting because we learn so much about life and
ourselves. With the love and support of our parents, teachers, and friends, this
phase can become one of the most beautiful journeys of growing up.
This phase is filled with excitement but also confusion. One moment we feel
confident and independent, and the next moment we may feel lost or unsure.
New experiences, new friendships, and new responsibilities begin to shape the
way we see ourselves. Our parents and teachers may still see us as children, but
inside, we start to feel more like adults who want to make their own choices and
live more independently.
This part of our life makes us strong and we begin to understand the importance
of self-realization and accept the changes as a natural part of growing up.
Though this phase comes with its share of struggles, it is also beautiful as it
helps us discover our strengths, our dreams, our true identity and most
importantly our self.
“Adolescence feels like standing between two worlds — one that you’ve
outgrown and one that isn’t ready for you yet.”.
PHYSICAL CHANGES AND BODY IMAGE ISSUSE DURING
ADOLESCENT
Adolescence is a dynamic period of in which individuals physical and
psychosocial developments take place. The changes in this period give people, a
new body, a new personality, a new identity. It’s exciting to grow up but
sometimes it also feels confusing and uncomfortable. Suddenly, we start
noticing every small thing our height, weight, skin, or shape. These physical
changes are signs of growing up and out of our control yet they often make
many teenagers feel insecure about how they look.
During this phase our body grows rapidly voices deepen, faces change, and new
features begin to appear due to the secondary sexual characters Then come the
little things that bother us acne, pimples and becomes a reason to hide our self
behind makeup or filters. And comes the Social media which makes this even
harder. When we see the so called perfect faces online, we begin to compare
ourselves. We easily forget that they are edited and nobody actually looks
perfect all the time.
Some of us loses confidence and never try out things because they feel judged
and some try their best to fit them into this idea of beauty. A Norwegian proverb
says, “Beauty comes from within”, meaning that there is a correspondence
between who we ‘are’ and how we look and that beauty is something else; more
than a beautiful exterior.
These changes occur due to hormonal activity, especially the release of
testosterone in boys and estrogen in girls. All these physical changes are the
signs which shows that our body and mind is one step ahead towards adulthood.
In the end, adolescence is not just about how we look, it’s all about who we
become. The true is beauty is how we see admire our own self.
ANGER AND STRESS IN TEENS
Have you ever felt like crying and screaming into your pillow because
everything felt impossible? Like everyone wanted you to be perfect in a world
which is imperfect. Being teenager often involves having this feeling because of
all the changes that occur in our body both emotionally and physically. Flooded
with storms of expectation between schoolwork, friendships and race to prove
ourselves in that silent struggles, begins the building up of stress. We smile and
pretend as if everything is fine while our heart is screaming with fear and
uncertainty.
We can say that Anger and stress are interconnected as anger often hides
beneath stress. It’s not always shouting or arguments sometimes it’s the bottled
pain and frustration behind the slammed doors. It’s the desperation to be seen
and understood by others. Everyone asks us to cope with these feeling and they
are nothing, they only tell and not teach us how to manage these feelings and
stay calm but sometimes all that is needed is a shoulder to lean on and ears
ready to listen.
Stress and anger is different for everyone mostly it’s because of academic
pressure, family pressure, friends, failure, career and dreams but it can vary
from people to people but one thing that anyone who is under constant stress
should remember to love ourselves. Talking to someone, writing your feelings
down or drawing can be a great way to cope with stress. The truth is, it’s okay
to feel overwhelmed at times but all that matters is never giving up, because
eventually storms clear up.
FAMILY DYNAMICS AND GROWING APART:
"Families are like branches on a tree, we grow in different directions, yet our
roots remain one ".
Family, to everyone is special. They are the people around whom we can be
ourselves. Be it a one-year-old child or an eighty-year-old elder, family is the
most beautiful bond we all have. But adolescence is a period in everyone's life
when we slowly drift away from the people we cared about and loved.
As we enter the period of adolescence ,our dreams , interests ,our way of
thinking, our priorities and emotions they start changing and we begin to feel
the need for privacy and independence, but this change is hard for parents to
understand as they still see us as children and wants us to behave like that .This
difference of opinion between the two often leads to arguments and
misunderstandings between them .While teenagers love spending time out,
parents feel their child is growing apart from them and not realizing that it’s just
a part of growing up.
I never realised how this distance worked until it happened to me. I used to be
very close to my father and mother I would tell them everything that happened
in that day and they would also listen with patience. They were always
supportive of everything I did I loved drawing because I loved the way they
encouraged me to do better. But as I started to grow old, suddenly everything
started to feel different I don’t talk to my parents like before. The talks we had
for hours became minutes. I gave up drawing as they didn't seem interested and
cared about it anymore. This way slowly our relationship started changing.
Even though we lived under the same roof, we felt miles away. But it didn’t
mean the love and care disappeared it’s just we both were caught up in two
different worlds, forgetting to even realise how easy it was to talk.
Looking back at how everything happened it was not a sudden change ,it was a
quiet and slow change which we all realise late .The feeling of doing things on
our own and not wanting help from parents and the thought of them not
understanding our feelings led to the conversations we had being mostly
arguments and not good old talks .Parents got busy with their own
responsibilities and work and not having time for their child .But in my opinion
neither can be blamed for the distance that had occurred this drifting doesn’t
mean lack of love but a part of growing up. This feeling is universal. The
important thing is to remember that this distance is just a part we need for
growing, what truly matters is that we find a way back to how it used to be like.
CAPACITY OF SELF DIRECTION:
Self-direction plays a major role in adolescence, as they seek to find their
identity, raising questions about who they really are. It's almost like the answer
being yes or no. Self-directing on their own requires emotional maturity, which
varies depending on the individual, but 46.7% of adolescents believe they're
prepared for self-direction and find it less burdensome. Meanwhile, 43.3% think
that with external support and guidance until college, they will do well, as they
lack the stability to think and analyse at this age.
COPING WITH ANXIETY, DEPRESSION & MENTAL HEALTH
STRUGGLES:
The teenage years are full of changes, challenges, and responsibilities.
Sometimes, these changes bring happiness, but other times they bring pressure
and stress. Many adolescents face anxiety because of studies, exams, or
expectations from others. Feeling nervous or sad is a part of growing up, but
learning how to manage it helps us stay calm, happy and confident.
Pressure to perform well, fear of failure, and comparison with others are the
main causes. Academic pressure is one of the biggest causes. Mood swings,
anger, or sadness become common. Even small mistakes start feeling like big
problems. The recent study indicates that girls with 21.8 %were more anxious
than boys with 11.6% while boys 29.5% are more depressed than girls with
17.8%( Vice-Chancellor for Health, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
march 2019). Additionally, there were a significantly negative correlation
between academic achievement with anxiety and depression. There was no
statistically difference in the mean of anxiety and age between teenagers, but a
significant depression level of respondents who are 18 and 19 years old was
significantly different from other ages.
It is recommended that along with studies, mental health can be developed in
schools using support strategies such as counselling, educational guidance and
psychotherapy. We all would have felt anxious before exams or results.
Sometimes we overthink small things and feel scared of failing . Talking to a
trusted person like a friend, parent, or teacher helps a lot. Doing activities that
make us happy like listening to music, drawing or sports makes us calm. We
can include various activities like meditation in our daily routine which will
keep our mental state relaxed.
Humans make mistakes the most important that matters is how we
handle it and solve. Anxiety and academic pressure are part of life but they
don’t last forever.
IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY ON
ADOLESCENT LIFE:
Social media a friend or foe?
Social media plays a major role this with gen Z adolescence where it is a form
of networking, sharing same interest, like-minded people and faster way of
communication but this comes with online abuse, distraction and lowering of
attention span. This survey helps you find out whether is helpful or harmful.
Over 55.9% of the people are saying social media a friend
It gives relaxation, connecting with friends, helps them archive various task and
they learn from it.
38.2% of the people are saying it is very distractive and disturbs their
academics. Studies show doom scrolling lower their attention span and reduce
their capability to attain there potential.
[Link]
385214649_This_is_Your_Brain_on_Social_Media_How_Social_Media_Use_i
s_Changing_our_Attention_Spans.(Ethan hilman October 2024)
5.88% adolescent don't have social media, due to the restrictions of parents,
some deleted it because of its distraction. As a whole social media is a friend for
most of the adolescent, as it makes them seem, relatable and find it relaxing at
the same time it has its cons which is lack of attention span and brain fog.
HOW ADOLESCENT MANAGE STRESS OR EMOTIONAL UPS
AND DOWNS:
It is really important to understand that whether adolescent can manage stress
because they are mostly misconceptions. This survey is for a better
understanding of normalizing stress.
-14year old
I read books, listen to calm music, watching my favourite shows
-15year old
I care what others see about me which can make me overthink or doubt myself
-13year old
Not being able to other people’s expectations of me and trying and failing to
beat the person I was yesterday is a struggle.
-16year old
I pause and ignore all my problems by daydreaming or doom scrolling to get a
temporary escape
-17year old
I try to remind myself that ups and downs are just a part of life, no one’s happy
or in control all the time.
By this survey we came to learn that adolescence have developed and diverse
their Coping mechanism and Managing stress, most of the adolescent try to be
optimistic and control their emotions by sharing their emotion to someone or
escapism to a certain extend.
FORMING PERSONAL VALUES AND IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT
ESSAY
Forming personal values and identity development is a process which continues
for life long establishes a sense of self, including their beliefs, values and roles
in society. While adolescence is a critical time period for this. Identity
development is vital to a person's understanding of self and participation in their
social system. Identity is formed through a process of exploring options or
choice During the adolescence period, our identity keeps changing. We start
questioning ourselves. Sometimes we adopt values from the people we spend
time with but at the same time, we also learn to stand up for what we personally
believe in. Family gives the first shape to our values, but life outside also has a
big impact on it. Teachers, friends, role models and even the struggles we face
all leave a mark on us. Identity development is not about being perfect but about
being honest with yourself and understanding what truly matters to you.
Overtime, we start realizing what kind of person we want to be. Every stage of
life teaches us something new and those lessons keep shaping us. Family plays a
crucial role in shaping the personality of adolescents. During this transitional
stage, young people are searching for their identity, and the family plays a
fundamental role in this process. The family provides an environment of
emotional support. Adolescents need to feel loved, valued, and secure in their
family in order to develop a healthy self-esteem. Emotional support from
parents and siblings gives them the necessary confidence to explore their
identity and face the challenges of this stage. Additionally, the family transmits
values, beliefs, and social norms that influence the personality of the adolescent.
Family values such as respect, honesty, and responsibility contribute to the
formation of their character and behaviour. Adolescents tend to adopt their
family's values and integrate them into their own identity. Furthermore, family
communication plays an important role in the development of adolescent
personalities. A family environment that promotes open and respectful dialogue
allows adolescents to express their opinions and feelings, which fosters their
social and cognitive development. In summary, the family plays a fundamental
role in shaping the personality of adolescents. It is a powerful influence that
Molds their identity and guides their development during this crucial stage of
life. Adolescents often look up to various actors as their role models because
this stage of life is filled with curiosity and the search for identity. They admire
actors for their success, confidence and lifestyle, and they try to follow them.
Many adolescents get inspired by the actor’s hard work and discipline which
motivates them to set goals and work towards their dreams. Actors also promote
fitness, healthy habits, social responsibility and positive values, which can
influence adolescents to adopt a good lifestyle. They may develop confidence,
creativity and communication skills by observing their favourite stars. However,
influence can also be negative. Some adolescents blindly follow their fashion
and behaviours without understanding their reality, which leads to unrealistic
expectations and disappointment. Comparing themselves to actors on looks can
cause body image issues and inferiority complex in them. When adolescents
watch movies showing violence, smoking, alcohol, they sometimes copy these
behaviours thinking they are cool. Excessive admiration and only living life and
acting like them may even lead to addiction to social media, ignoring studies
and losing their real identity. Therefore, like a coin having two sides, actors
have both positive and negative impact, and adolescents must learn to be
inspired wisely and not follow anyone blindly. "Take inspiration from stars, but
never dim your own light” Self-evaluations become increasingly differentiated
and complex across roles and relationships. Adolescents also frequently report
greater self-consciousness, and are more concerned with and interested in
others' perceptions of self. Adolescents are physically, cognitively, and
socioemotionally more advanced than children but prone to behaving in ways
that are inconsistent with adult values and norms. They are self-conscious and
are more concerned with and interested in others' perceptions of themselves
Given the theoretical and empirical prominence of changes in aspects of self
and identity during adolescence, researchers have begun to investigate how
these changes are expressed at a neural level.
([Link] [[Link].]
Authors: Shulman EP, Smith AR, Silva K, Icenogle G, Duell N, Chein J, &
Steinberg Nelson EE, Jarcho JM, & Guyer AE. (2016). Adolescent in particular
focus on a mismatch between mature reward related circuitry and immature
cognitive control circuitry. However, self does not fit clearly in either category
because it can contribute alternately or concurrently to reward-seeking and
regulatory behaviour. For example, a teenager with an emerging academic
identity is likely to prioritise studying over other activities, though it is unclear
whether the effect of such an identity operates through rewarding or regulatory
processes or both. Although adolescent behaviour is influenced by normative
developmental changes in sensitivity to rewards and social context, the self also
evolves to become an important source of value and intrinsic motivation.
Identity development and well-being are closely connected to a person’s growth
and happiness in life. Identity refers to how we see ourselves. our beliefs,
values, strengths, weaknesses, interests and goals. Well-being is about feeling
healthy, confident and satisfied in life. When a person develops a strong
identity, it has a positive impact on their overall well-being. Well-being is not
only about physical health, but also about mental and emotional peace. A person
with good well-being feels stable, hopeful, energetic and secure. When someone
has a strong sense of identity, they become more aware of what makes them
happy, what causes stress and what they need in life. This awareness helps them
make healthy choices, maintain positive relationships and handle problems
calmly. Identity development also improves self-acceptance. When a person
knows their strengths, they feel proud. When they know their weaknesses, they
try to improve without feeling ashamed. This balanced mindset protects mental
well-being and builds resilience. Knowing who you are, you can handle
challenges better, make good decisions, and stay motivated. It keeps you steady
through the ups and downs of high school and beyond. identity development
and well-being are deeply connected. Knowing who we are gives direction to
life, and good well-being gives strength to live that life happily. A clear identity
leads to confidence, and confidence leads to better well-being, helping a person
grow into a positive and fulfilled human being
HOW ADOLESCENT MANAGE STRESS OR EMOTIONAL UPS
AND DOWNS:
It is really important to understand that whether adolescent can manage stress
because they are mostly misconceptions. This survey is for a better
understanding of normalizing stress.
-14year old
I read books, listen to calm music, watching my favourite shows
-15year old
I care what others see about me which can make me overthink or doubt myself
-13year old
Not being able to other people’s expectations of me and trying and failing to
beat the person I was yesterday is a struggle.
-16year old
I pause and ignore all my problems by daydreaming or doom scrolling to get a
temporary escape
-17year old
I try to remind myself that ups and downs are just a part of life, no one’s happy
or in control all the time.
By this survey we came to learn that adolescence have developed and diverse
their Coping mechanism and Managing stress, most of the adolescent try to be
optimistic and control their emotions by sharing their emotion to someone or
escapism to a certain extend.
PHOTOGRAPHS:
(freepik: images)
([Link])
(freepik: images)
(freepik: images)
REFLECTION
This project enhanced my understanding of the various emotion’s adolescents
go through and showed me that we share similar coping strategies, which made
me feel less alone. I also built a stronger connection with my classmates and
teammates through participating in the survey and actively engaging in our
group. Moreover, I learned how to interpret research papers, as it was my first
project involving reading multiple studies to deepen my understanding of
specific topics before expressing my own perspective. The main challenge was
unifying the team into a cohesive group and ensuring everyone understood their
topics, including mine and also building my communication skills with
everyone.
DURGA DHARSHINI.M
CONCLUSIONS:
Adolescence is a period of rapid growth and journey full of
emotions. Even though this period is considered to be confusing but it plays an
important role in building the character of a person. Adolescence teaches us
many lessons. It’s at this period in our life we fall and learn to stand up on our
own. Adolescence it’s not an easy phase, but it’s the stepping stone in the life of
an individual to find our own dream and identity. With a little understanding
and care from others, every teenager can turn this stage into something
meaningful and full of hope. It’s at this stage we make mistakes and learn.
Looking back, we don't realize how much we have changed over the years but
one day we will look back and see how every moment the laughter, tears which
has helped us grow into who we are. After all, adolescence isn’t just about
growing older; it’s about finding strength in our struggles and light in our
journey.
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[Link]://[Link]/publication/
385214649_This_is_Your_Brain_on_Social_Media_How_Social_Media_Us
e_is_Changing_our_Attention_Spans