Online Adolescent Psychology Course

Our teenage years can be a very difficult time. When we reach adolescence we have become used to being treated as a child and we are accustomed to the privileges associated with that role. Then, over a relatively short period of time we reach puberty which brings about bodily changes, and we also have to adjust to the emotional and psychological changes which accompany our new role as a young adult. We have to somehow reinvent ourselves whilst all these changes are taking place and hope that we get it right.

Early approaches to understanding adolescence put forward the view that it was always a problematic time. It was expected that teenagers would have mood swings, be temperamental, and experience emotional disturbances. More recent theories have challenged this traditional view and it is now widely accepted that many teenagers pass through this period quite smoothly. Often, it is a time when teenagers develop richer and more meaningful relationships with their parents and other adults, and they may come to trust them more.

This course examines these theories of adolescence and the life changes which each teenager must navigate their way through on their journey into adulthood. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the role transitions and crises faced by young people passing through this period in their life.

The course is aimed at people working in youth work, child and adolescent counselling, schools, child psychology or other caring roles. It will also be of great interest to parents of teenagers and those who deal with teenagers in their daily lives.    

By studying this course, you will learn to understand issues unique to teenagers, how to distinguish problem behaviour from typical or normal behaviour, and how to respond to teenagers more appropriately.

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • What is adolescence
   • Piaget's Theories of Development
   • Eriksons Psycho Social Stages, etc
2. Life Crises
   • Puberty
   • Attachment Theory
   • Types of Problems, etc
3. Physical Development
   • What is Puberty
   • Puberty in Females
   • Puberty in Males
   • Hormonal Control of Puberty
   • Factors Affecting Age of puberty
   • Obesity, etc
4. Intellectual Development
   • Piaget's Formal Operations Stage
   • Cognitive Development and Behavioural Changes
   • School Problems
   • Information Processing
   • Decision Making
   • Brain Development
   • Assessing Intelligence, etc.
5. Emotional Development
   • Freud's Theories
   • Emotional Problems (Depression, Eating)
   • Role of the Family
   • Grief and Teenagers
   • Typical Childhood Response to Grief
   • Supporting a Grieving Child
6. Sexuality
   • Aquisition of Gender Identity
   • Sex Role Identity
   • Vicarious Learning and Sexual Identity
   • Gender Identity Disorders
   • Curiosity
   • Homosexuality
   • Sexual Behaviour
   • Nudity, etc
7. Social Development
   • Family Influence
   • Denigration of Parents
   • Influence of Peers
   • Popularity
   • Shyness
   • Dating, etc
8. Moral Development
   • Piaget's Theory of Moral Development
   • Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Reasoning
   • Role of Family in Moral Learning
   • Other Factors Affecting Moral development, etc.
9. Delinquency and Crime
   • Pathways to Delinquency
   • Gangs
   • Case Studies
   • Behavioural Problems (Drugs, etc)
   • Child Abuse, etc.
10. Adolescents and the Transition to Adulthood
    • Transition to Adulthood
    • Career Development, etc.

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.

Request your free info pack today!