The document discusses understanding gender and puberty. It defines key terms like sex, gender identity, gender expression and gender roles. It also outlines some of the emotional, physical and social changes that occur during puberty like mood swings, peer pressure and seeking independence. The document also discusses body image, noting it reflects how one feels about their body and appearance. It outlines different aspects of body image including perceptual, affective, cognitive and behavioral. Positive and negative body images are defined.

1. Understanding Gender

2. Sex is biological and includes physical attributes such as sex
chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, internal reproductive
structures, and external genitalia. At birth, it is used to identify
individuals as male or female.
Gender is the complex interrelationship between
those traits and one’s internal sense of self as
male, female, both or neither as well as one’s
outward presentations and behaviors related to
that perception.

3. Gender Terminology
Gender Identity
One's innermost concept of self as male or female or both
or neither—how individuals perceive themselves and what
they call themselves. One’s gender identity can be the
same or different than the sex assigned at birth.
Gender Expression
Refers to the ways in which people externally communicate their gender identity
to others through behavior, clothing, haircut, voice, and other forms of
presentation. Gender expression also works the other way as people assign
gender to others.

4. Gender Role
This is the set of roles, activities, expectations and behaviors
assigned to females and males by society. Our culture
recognizes two basic gender roles: Masculine (having the
qualities attributed to males) and feminine (having the qualities
attributed to females).
People who step out of their socially assigned
gender roles are sometimes referred to as
transgender. Other cultures have three or more
gender roles.

5. Sexual Orientation
Term that refers to being romantically or sexually attracted to
people of a specific gender. Our sexual orientation and our
gender identity are separate, distinct parts of our overall identity.
Although a child may not yet be aware of their sexual orientation,
they usually have a strong sense of their gender identity.

6. PUBERT
Y
A Time of Change

7. Emotional Changes That Occur During Puberty

8. Feeling Overly Sensitive
During puberty, since your body undergoes many changes, it is
common to feel uncomfortable about them and become overly
sensitive about your physical appearance.

10. Looking for an identity
Since you are inare inprocess of becoming an adult, you may feel inclined to
Since you the the process of becoming an adult, you
figure out what makes you figure out what makes you unique asgeneral tendency
may feel inclined to unique as a person. There is also a
that you associate more with your friends than your family members.
a person.

12. Feeling uncertain
Since you're not completely an adult and are not a child anymore, puberty
can potentially lead to uncertain times.

14. Peer pressure
With the onset of puberty, your conversations with your friends will increase. Your peer group
and you are likely to be influenced by what you see around you in popular media and the culture
that is represented through them.

16. Conflicting thoughts
Since you are somewhere in between as a teenager
during puberty, you may feel stuck between how you were
as a child and how you wish to be as an adult.

17. Mood swings
For example, sometimes your mood will swing between
feeling confident and happy to feeling irritated and
depressed in a short span of time. These frequent swings
in how you feel are called mood swings.

19. Feeling conscious about self
The onset of puberty can vary on an individual basis. Therefore the way
you grow maybe different from the way your friends grow. This can make
you conscious about the way you're growing up and your body.

20. Getting sexual feelings
Puberty is also the phase after which you develop sexual
maturity. Sexual maturity is the stage of your life when you
can have children

21. Social Changes
During Puberty

22. Searching for Identity
Young people are busy working out who
they are and where they fit in the world.
This search can be influenced by gender,
peer group, cultural background and family
expectations.

23. Seeking
More Independence
This is likely to influence the
decisions your child makes and the
relationships your child has with
family and friends

24. Seeking
More Responsibility
(both at home and at school)
Looking for New Experiences
The
nature
of
teenage
brain
development means that teenagers are
likely to seek out new experiences and
engage in more risk-taking behavior. But
they are still developing control over their
impulses.

25. Thinking More About „Right‟ and „Wrong‟
Your teenager will start developing a
stronger individual set of values and
morals. Teenagers also learn that they’re
responsible for their own actions, decisions
and consequences. They question more
things. Your words and actions shape your
child’s sense of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’

26. Influenced more by
friends, especially
when it comes to
behavior, sense of
self
and
selfesteem

27. Communicating in
Different Ways
The internet, mobile phones and
social media can significantly
influence communication with
peers and learning about the
world.

28. BODY IMAGE
Body Image
Me and My Body
Valuing My Body, Valuing Me

30. Your body image reflects how you feel
your body is esthetically and how
attractive you perceive yourself.
What we regard as society's standards
may not always correspond to our
perception of our own body.
Body image relates to how a person thinks
and feels about his or her own body.
Body image also refers to the way we see
our body and the way we think that others
see our body.

31. Every single one of us has a body image. We cannot avoid having
feelings about how we look; it is part of human nature. We are influenced
by how we imagine others might see us. People's overall body image
can
range
from
extremely
negative
to
very
positive.
It is normal to like some parts of your body and dislike others. Body
image refers to the overall perception, not just certain parts of your body.
It refers to how comfortable we feel in our bodies, how much in control
we feel, how agile we are, as well as our attractiveness.

32. Different Aspects of Body Image

33. The way we see our own body
(Perceptual)
Our body image is not always an accurate reflection of what our body
actually looks like.
For example, many people in our society perceive their body to be larger
or fatter than it really is. Perceptual body image is the difference between
what you perceive your body to look like and what your body actually
looks like.

34. The way we feel about our body’s appearance
(Affective)
We all feel a certain way about the way
we look and aspects of our appearance.
Affective body image refers to the
amount of satisfaction or dissatisfaction
we feel about our general appearance,
our weight or shape and even about
specific body parts.

35. The thoughts and beliefs we have about our own
body (Cognitive)
The feelings that we have about our body and its appearance
are often associated with certain thoughts or beliefs. When we
feel dissatisfied with some aspect of our body it is usually
because we believe that it is not the right shape, size or color.
For instance, the many boys in our society who are
dissatisfied with their body shape think that they should be
larger or thinner.

36. The things we do because we are dissatisfied
with our body (Behavioral)
Often, feelings of dissatisfaction with the body can lead a
person to avoid doing certain things that might evoke those
concerns.
For instance, many people who have body dissatisfaction
avoid doing physical exercise with their peers.

38. How do we shape our body image?
People's body images do not develop in isolation.
We are influenced by those around us and our culture.
Families and friends convey to us positive and negative
messages regarding our bodies continuously - virtually as
soon as we are born.
Studies have shown that children brought up in families
where parents enjoy physical exercise and explain the
benefits of being physically healthy tend to have a more
positive body image, compared to those who are criticized
for the way they look.

39. The definition of a positive body image
If you have a positive body image you are happy about the way you
look and feel good about your body. You may realize that your looks
do not match what is presented in the media, or what family members
might say, but you carry yourself with pride.
You do not have an urge to become thinner or taller or to change any
of your physical features in order to expect to gain a positive body
image. Having a positive body image is about how you feel about
yourself, how you feel inside.

42. The definition of a negative body image
People with a negative body image feel that their looks do not measure up
to what society, family, friends, and the media expect. There is a feeling of
inadequacy when they compare themselves to others, which they tend to do
more frequently than those with a positive body image.
Usually, people with a negative body image are not being realistic. When
they look in the mirror, they see parts of their body in a distorted, unreal way.
They
do
not
see
who/what
they
really
are.

43. Sexual health & body image
Teens who lack knowledge about
sexual health and who do not feel
accepted and supported by their
parents are more likely to follow the
crowd.
By: The Emotional Life

44. Sexual Health
According to the current working definition, sexual health is:
“…a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being
in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease,
dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and
respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as
well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual
experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.

45. Teen Body Image
More aware of their body
image, often to the point of
feeling very self-conscious.
Their sexual identity is
developing and they become
increasingly concerned about
being attractive to others.

46. Improve
Tips to
Your
Body
Image

47. Understand your
body.
Take care of yourself, keeping
yourself well-groomed and
neat.

48. Walk tall and straight and
smile whenever you can.
Do exercises that make
you feel better about
your body.

49. Wear clothes that make you
feel attractive.
Body image is more about your
mind than your body.

50. Realize that few people
are as critical of your
body as you are.
Know that you are special

51. “Remember that your Body Image is not
about how you look, but how you feel.”

52. You hem me in behind
and before, and You lay
Your hand upon me.
Psalms 139:5