WESTFORD ACADEMY HEALTH
HUMAN GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
STUDY GUIDE
BUILDING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
Effective Communication
"I” message - a statement of feelings and expectation that does not blame or judge another
person. An “I” message does not put people on the defense.
Active Listening - Most useful communication skill you can acquire.
Active listening is focusing your full attention on what the other person is saying and, at the
same time, letting that person know you understand and care.
Keys to active listening:
· Show interest and concern
· Encourage – “Do you want to talk about it?" - " You seem upset about.........”
· Offer comments.... "I know what you mean.” - “Then what happened?”
· Avoid passing judgment
· Summarize the speaker‛s ideas - " It sounds like you were angry when..."
· Help the speaker explore things further – “Tell me more about......”
· Do not steer the conversation away from the speaker‛s problem and onto your own.
Assertive - Expressing your true feelings in a way that does not let another person feel
threatened or anxious.
Body Language - A way of communicating information or feelings in a non-verbal way through
body movements, posture, gestures, and facial expressions (eye contact, frowning, etc.)
Cooperation – Working together for a common goal.
Compromise - Is the willingness of each individual to give up something in order to reach an
agreement. A skill of give and take. Each person must be willing to make a sacrifice.
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
Relationship - a meaningful association with another person
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Through relationships with family members, a person learns to love, respect, and get along
with others and to function as part of a group.
The Changing Family
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Women Working
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High Divorce Rate
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Postponing Marriage and Parenthood
Family Forms
Nuclear Family – Mother, father, and child(ren) living in one household.
Single Parent Family - One parent lives with child(ren).
Extended Family - Grandparents, aunts, uncles, nuclear family, single parent, all living together
in any combination.
Blended Family - Biological parent, step-parent, child(ren).
Foster Family - A family where an adult or couple provides care and a temporary home for
children.
Some Causes of Family Stress
· Divorce
· Drug Abuse
· Financial Problems
· Family Violence
Types of Abuse
Physical Abuse
· Punishment, with or without a real reason.
· Bumps, bruises, scratches, or welts are some examples.
· The victims are often afraid to go home, they feel it is hopeless to avoid punishment.
· They are also afraid to tell for fear their family will be destroyed.
· Victims often feel it is their fault.
Sexual Abuse
· When an adult uses a child or adolescent for sexual purposes.
· IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
· Anything from unwanted kissing, to inappropriate touching, to sexual intercourse.
· Perpetrators are usually someone the victim knows.
· Victims assume responsibility and often blame themselves, BUT IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT.
· Victims should seek the help of a trusted adult (teacher, counselor, physician, relative, or
clergy member).
Emotional Abuse
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The non-physical mistreatment of a person, which can destroy a persons sense of worth.
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Killer Statements are often used.
Neglect
· Failure, of a parent to give their child love and emotional support.
· Victims suffer from feeling that they don't belong.
· They often feel inadequate, helpless, and worthless.
MARRIAGE
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Approximately 95% of all Americans marry at some point in their lives.
The decision to get married is one of the biggest decisions a person can make.
Successful Marriages
· Compatibility – the ability to exist in harmony with another person.
· Some factors that may influence the likelihood of a successful marriage are having
similar interests, backgrounds, religious beliefs, and values.
Commitment
· Making a promise or a pledge, having continuous obligation to a relationship.
Marital Roles
Teens and Marriage
· More stress!
· Must earn a living.
· The decision whether or not to continue education? The drop out rate increases in teens
who marry.
· Possibly faced with parenthood.
· Difficulty finding a suitable job.
· Outside friendships change.
· LONG-TERM COMMITMENT
RELATIONSHIPS, FRIENDSHIPS, & DATING
Friendships
· Casual friends –
· Close friends –
· Opposite sex friends –
Problems
· Envy/Jealousy · Transferring anger · Cliques and Gangs –
Intimate Relationships
· Infatuation – feelings of intense, sometimes overwhelming, attraction to another person.
THIS IS NORMAL!
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Steady Dating –
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Physical Intimacy – It is natural for two people who have been dating to feel physically
attracted to each other. Sometimes confused about all these feelings, young people must
set limits about physical intimacy ahead of the actual time when it may present itself.
IMPORTANT ISSUES TO CONSIDER ABOUT PHYSICAL INTIMACY:
Effect on Self Esteem
· When a decision to become physically intimate goes against a person‛s values he/she
may feel guilty and ashamed. They may feel as though they let people down.
· Lowered self esteem is a result of snap decisions about sexual intimacy or when sex is
used to prove something to someone.
Effect on your relationships
· Physical intimacy affects all aspects of a relationship.
· Expectations of a relationship may become more possessive/demanding and the
changes are permanent, you cannot go back.
Risk of pregnancy and STDs/STIs
· The ONLY, 100% EFFECTIVE, way to avoid pregnancy and STIs/STDs is
ABSTINENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EMOTIONAL INTIMACY
· Refers to the openness, sharing, affection, and trust that can develop in a close relationship.
· When young couples share experiences and show caring for each other without physical
intimacy, their relationship can mature through emotional intimacy.
MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Testes – Contained inside the scrotum. Two major functions - produce the male hormone testosterone, produce
sperm.
Scrotum – The sac of skin that contains the testes, it protects the sperm by keeping the temperature slightly
lower than the body temperature.
Epididymis – a “J” shaped tube located on the back of the testes, it is coiled and folded on itself – this is where
the sperm goes to mature and gain the ability to move.
Penis – The external sexual organ through which the sperm leaves the body. The tip of the penis is called the head,
or glans, which is covered with loose skin called the foreskin, or prepuce. The prepuce is homologous to the hood
or cover of the clitoris of the female. In some males the foreskin is removed shortly after birth. In some
cultures the female foreskin is also removed as a right of passage to womanhood. The procedure is known as
circumcision.
Vas Deferens – Tubes that carry sperm from the epididymis to the urethra.
Prostate Gland – A gland located near the bladder that provides 35% of the fluid to semen.
Cowper‛s Glands - A pair of glands located at the base of the penis that provide 5% of the fluid to semen.
Seminal Vesicles - A pair of glands located near the bladder that provides 60% of the fluid to semen.
Semen – A liquid that nourishes sperm and lubricates the passageway through which sperm must travel.
FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Ovaries - The two female reproductive glands, located on each side of the body a few inches below the waist.
They contain hundreds of thousands of immature eggs and these eggs begin to mature when the female reaches
puberty. One egg is released every month during ovulation (the egg is no bigger than a typewriter dot).
Fallopian tubes - Two narrow tubes through which eggs pass from the ovaries to the uterus. There are tiny hairs
in the fallopian tubes that move the eggs along. If sperm are present in the fallopian tubes the egg may be
fertilized. This is where fertilization usually occurs.
Uterus – A hollow, muscular organ located between the ovaries and behind the urinary bladder where a fertilized
egg grows and develops.
Vagina – The passage leading from the cervix to the outside of the body, also known as the birth canal.
Endometrium – The lining of the uterus.
Ovulation – The release of one or more eggs from an ovary.
Menstrual Cycle – The process during which and egg matures and is released, and the uterus prepares to receive it.
On an average, the menstrual cycle lasts 28 days.
Menstruation – The discharge of blood and tissue from the uterus.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
CHLAMYDIA
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Most common bacterial std in the U.S. – more than 4 million cases per year.
INFECTED MALES: frequent, painful urination and discharge. IF UNTREATED: inflammation of the lining of
the urethra or nongonoccal urethritis.
INFECTED FEMALES: yellowish discharge or sometimes no symptoms at all. IF UNTREATED: major cause of
PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) which can result in infertility.
TRICHOMONIASIS
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Infection of the urinary tract or vagina.
INFECTED MALES: itching and clear discharge or painful urination.
INFECTED FEMALES: itching, burning, smelly, greenish-yellow discharge and painful urination.
Physicians can prescribe medications for this condition.
GONORRHEA
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Infects the urinary tract in males and the reproductive organs in females.
SYMPTOMS: puss-like discharge from the penis and vagina & painful urination.
IF UNTREATED: It can lead to infertility in males and females.
Penicillin and other antibiotics are used to treat gonorrhea.
Babies born to mothers who have gonorrhea are given eye drops at birth to prevent transmission.
GENITAL WARTS
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Most common viral infection in the U.S. – cases have reached epidemic proportions!
The virus that causes warts is the Human Papilloma Virus – once infected, you have it for life.
1-8 months after infection, warts appear in clusters around the genitals accompanied by itching and burning.
Warts may be surgically removed by a physician using liquid nitrogen (burned off).
Genital warts have been linked to cervical cancer in females.
GENITAL HERPES
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Incurable viral std.
The virus is HERPES SIMPLEX II.
Flu-like symptoms and sensations usually occur 2-10 days after infection.
Physicians can treat the blister but cannot prevent it from occurring again.
Can cause blindness and possible death in infants.
SYPHILIS
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Bacterial std with several stages.
PRIMARY SYPHILIS: 1-12 weeks after infection a painless sore called a chancre appears. It goes away but
the bacteria spreads to different parts of the body.
SECONDARY SYPHILIS: 2-8 weeks after the first stage sores in the mouth will appear. Flu-like symptoms
(headache, swollen glands, etc.) will also occur at this time. A rash will appear – YOU MUST SEEK
TREATMENT AT THIS TIME!
LATENT SYPHILIS: It may disappear for years, during this time, it attacks the brain and heart. The damage
is permanent and can lead to death. A blood test is the only way to diagnose it at this point.
LATE SYPHILIS: Also known as tertiary syphilis. It causes brain damage, paralysis, and heart disease.
CONGRUITAL SYPHILIS: In an unborn child there is damage to the skin, bones, eyes, teeth, and liver. It can
be treated but the damages that occur are usually irreversible.