Chapter 1 You: Growing and Changing
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1-5
You may feel many new
and different emotions during
your teen years.
you feel better and allow you to learn more. Your family, friends, and
school provide many opportunities for new learning experiences. Such
experiences may include talking with family, spending time with friends,
or participating in club activities. Every time you see something, read
something, or talk with someone, you have the chance to expand your
intellectual horizons and become more knowledgeable.
If you respond positively to your inherited potential and the
opportunities your environment offers, you can increase your
intellectual growth. This is probably the greatest step toward personal
independence you can take. Becoming more knowledgeable can help
you function well in the world around you.
Emotional Growth
Your emotions are your feelings. These feelings are often revealed
to those around you through different behaviors. Many emotions are
expressed outwardly for all to see. Babies who are unhappy may cry
uncontrollably. Happy children may laugh excitedly. Teens may be
sullen and withdrawn when they feel sad. Other
emotions are kept inside or suppressed,
invisible to family and friends.
Emotional growth refers to the
continuing refi nement of emotions
or mental states that causes an
individual to act in a certain
way. Each person has a unique
timetable for learning to control
and express emotions. Some
people are emotionally mature
at a fairly young age. On the
other hand, some people act like
children in the way they handle
their emotions even after they
become adults.
How you handle your emotions
will be an indication of your
emotional maturity. During your teen
years you will experience many emotions,
1-5. You may also notice that your emotions
change rapidly. You may be happy and excited
one minute and sad and depressed the next. This is
normal. The important thing is that you recognize these
emotional shifts and learn to manage them to help you
live an effective life. You also need to learn to express