Building Healthy Relationships

Starter Quiz What form of communication is used more? Verbal or Non Verbal _____ is hearing and thoughtfully responding as a person is speaking. List three communication skills you learned earlier this year. List the “STOP” steps from the refusal skills lesson (we will go over this, take a guess). S = T = O = P =

Starter Quiz Answers What form of communication is used more? Verbal or Non Verbal Active Listening is hearing and thoughtfully responding as a person is speaking. List three communication skills you learned from the last lesson. Stay focused Choose your words carefully Use “I” statements Watch your body language Make eye contact Ask questions List the “STOP” steps from the refusal skills lesson S = SAY NO IN A FIRM VOICE T = TELL WHY O = OFFER ANOTHER OPTION P = PROMPTLY LEAVE

Social Health Social health is the part of health that describes the way you interact with people A relationship is an emotional or social connection you have with another person or group.

Social Skills Many things factor into having good social skills and building healthy relationships Communication Personal Responsibility Refusal Skills Empathy Tolerance

Communication Earlier this year we covered communication skills. Remember there are two forms of communication: Verbal Non Verbal Also remember that the most important part of communication is listening.

Communication You also send messages through your behavior Your behavior is how you choose to respond or act. There are three ways to react to any situation. Passive Aggressive Assertive

Communication A passive response is to do and say nothing. An aggressive response is to be disrespectful, threatening, or pushy An assertive response is to expressing your thoughts and feelings in a respectful way.

Discussion Salvador threw the ball over Thomas’s head. The ball went through the neighbor’s window. With the person seated across from you describe how the following responses could be demonstrated. Passive Aggressive Assertive

Personal Responsibility Your behavior, thoughts, and feelings are all part of your character. Relationships are affected by the character of the people in them. Developing good character, which is based on positive values, will help you have healthy relationships.

Personal Responsibility Taking personal responsibility means doing your part, keeping promises, and accepting the consequences of your actions.

Assignment Read the following scenario. With your partner across from you come up with two possible endings: One showing positive personal responsibility One showing negative personal responsibility (making excuses, blaming, etc.)

Assignment Continued Jenny doesn’t come from a family that anyone would call “ideal.” Her mom is an alcoholic, her father beats her mother, and the family never has any money. Jenny’s never done very well in school; she feels there’s nothing to motivate her to do a good job. No one at home cares what grades she gets, except when they are embarrassed by getting more than one call from the same teacher. So it wasn’t a big deal when Jenny started partying, forging absence notes, and ditching. Her GPA dropped below a 1.0. For a while, no one seemed to notice that things were going down hill. Then Jenny’s counselor called her in and informed her that she wasn’t going to graduate. “What’s the problem, Jenny?” asked the counselor. “I can’t believe it,” said Jenny… (You finish the story from here)

Developing Empathy Healthy communication is more than just getting your point across. It includes understanding the feelings of the people around you. Empathy is sharing and understanding another person’s feelings.

Developing Empathy Empathy and sympathy are two different things. Sympathy means you feel sorrow for the person misfortune

Assignment #1 With your partner decide if the actions taken in the scenario are showing empathy or sympathy. Then write down what you would do in that situation to make it better. Remember to think about your personal values, character, and beliefs. You are assigned to be a team captain for PE class because you are one of the best players. You are asked to pick players for your team. You remember the same students are always picked last which makes you feel bad for them.

Assignment #2 You are driving with your family. As you pull off the highway you notice a homeless person on the side of the road. They are dirty and wearing worn out clothes. You wonder what happened in their lives to get them in such a situation. You feel sorry for them.

Assignment #3 A new child comes to school from a foreign country. His English is not very good yet and he has a strong accent. You notice at lunch they are sitting alone. You wonder how you would feel if you were in his situation.

Assignment #4 Your friends parents are getting divorced. When you talk with your friend you image how hard it would be if your parents got divorced.

Showing Tolerance Empathy helps people understand each other’s feelings. Tolerance helps people get along. Tolerance is the ability to overlook differences and accept people for who they are.

Showing Tolerance Showing tolerance can help you build relationships with people who are different from you. This includes your friends, families, and future spouses. Like empathy, tolerance needs to be practiced.

Showing Tolerance Remember it is good that we are all unique and not alike. Sadly, sometimes teenagers and adults show little tolerance for those who are different.

Assignment # 5 With your partner read the scenarios and decide how you can show tolerance. A group of teens are deciding what movie to go to. Someone in their group suggest a horror movie. There are a few in the group who don’t like scary movies.

Assignment # 6 The boy/girl you like a lot can’t date until they are 16 years old.

Assignment # 7 The boy/girl you like really loves country music and plays it all the time. They even ask you to go swing dancing with them that weekend.

Showing Tolerance Not all difference should be overlooked. Behavior that is illegal, unhealthy, or disrespectful should not be tolerated. Remember, you do not have to put up with any behavior that goes against your personal values, belief, and morals.

Quick Check Sympathy is sharing and understanding someone else’s feelings. True / False You should ALWAYS show tolerance. True / False Passive responses are always the best because there is less conflict. True / False Being assertive is less effective than aggressive. True / False Your words speak louder than your actions? True / False In some situations it is better not to take personal responsibility – especially if it will get you in trouble. True / False Learning tolerance, empathy, and personal responsibility will make your relationships stronger. True / False

Quick Check Answers Sympathy is sharing and understanding someone else’s feelings. True / False You should ALWAYS show tolerance. True / False Passive responses are always the best because there is less conflict. True / False Being assertive is less effective than aggressive. True / False Your words speak louder than your actions? True / False In some situations it is better not to take personal responsibility – especially if it will get you in trouble. True / False Learning tolerance, empathy, and personal responsibility will make your relationships stronger. True / False