A Close-Up View of You Chapter 1

Your Life Path Your birth marks the beginning of your path in this world Life Span – your path from birth to death Each person’s life path is unique although it might be similar to others, no one will have a life path just like another person’s life path

Heredity You start your life path with genes you receive from your parents Gene – the basic unit of heredity Your unique pattern of genes is defined as you DNA Your DNA is so distinctive it can be used as a form of identification

Growth Stages Death Older Adult Years Adult Years Young Adult Years Teen Years Elementary Years Childhood Birth

Life Path Your life path will cross other people’s life path Direct Influences – actions and words Indirect Influences – not being invited to a party You will also influence people directly and indirectly

Changes over Your Life Span Developmental task – a skill that society expects of individuals at various stages of life Accomplishing these tasks successfully helps you become an adult

Understanding and Accepting Yourself One developmental task of a teen is to figure out “Who am I?’ Self-identity – a sense of individuality Exploring the answer to this question will help you feel you have worth and value Accepting who you are will make it easier for others to accept you as you are

Developing Mature Relationships Parents Decreasing dependence and increasing independence Learning to live independently will help teens prepare for an occupation

Preparing for Change Change is a part of normal life, although many fear change In order to prepare for change you need to use these skills Gather Information Learn as much as you can Develop Skills to Adjust Managing the Change Example: Budgets and schedule

Heredity Heredity is the sum of the qualities that were passed from your ancestors through your parents to you Hair color Facial features Height The way you feel The way you behave

Genes A person normally inherits 23 rod-shaped particles called chromosome from each biological parent. The chromosome carry hereditary information from each biological parents. The child will get a total of 46 chromosome from their biological parent. Genes determine all the inherited characteristics or traits

Physical Characteristics Because of inherited genes you physical appearance may be similar to a brother, sister or other family member Dominate Genes determine the nature of a certain trait in a person. A dominant gene always overrules a recessive gene Example: Curly hair and brown eyes Recessive genes determine the nature of the trait only when two of them are present. The child must receive one recessive gene form each parent Example: Blond hair and blue eyes

Punnett Square Punnett Square determine what possible gene pairs may result from combining two genes

Brain Development and Intelligence Intelligence – your capacity for mental activity Your ability to learn, understand, reason and think

How Your Brain Functions Your are born over 100 billion nerve cell called neurons Neurotransmitter are chemicals that allow messages to to be carried between neurons Chemicals produced in the synapses can be affected by heredity and environment

How Your Brain Grows and Develops Parts of the brain that are not used are trimmed back, and those nerve cells die off – use it or lose it The critical time for learning to take place is called a window of opportunity. If the window is missed, the cells die off and the related development does not take place

Hereditary Diseases Certain diseases and disabilities are inherited Some people are carries of a disease. This means they can pass the disease to their children but never have it themselves. A person who has a recessive gene for a disease may not show ANY symptoms of the disease Defective genes affect a person when they are inherited in pairs. This is why marriage between blood relatives is discouraged. Children of these marriage have a higher chance of inheriting pairs of defective genes, which may result in birth defects and even death.

Genetic Counseling Genetic counselors help people understand how hereditary diseases and disabilities are passed on. Your Family Tree is a list of your blood relatives for several generations. By tracing your family tree, you can identify conditions that could be hereditary in your family.

Medical Research Vs. the Right to Privacy Potential Problems regarding medical research and an Individual’s Right to Privacy Misuse of medical information could lead to discrimination A person with a high chance of a future serious illness may not be able to find employment An insurance company may choose not to insure a person based on that individual risk of having a costly illness

Environment Your environment includes everything in your surrounding Example: family, friends, home and school Both heredity and environment influence personal development

The Influence of the Family Environment The family is usually the major human influence in a person’s life Most families want to provide a nurturing environment Children feel secure and protected Physical needs met Learning opportunities A child needs met on giving and receiving love In such an environment, family members can grow and develop to maturity

The Prenatal Environment The prenatal environment is the child’s surrounding before birth. The way a woman cares for herself during pregnancy will affect her baby. Eating properly Avoiding drugs and medications

Family in the Early Years Safe environment Feel love and secure Provide experience which stimulation their intellectual development Provide task for children do by themselves Picking up toys Getting dress Making bed

Family in the Teen Years Families can help a teen move to independence by: Encouraging teens to develop friendships Paying tuition to go to college Allowing to express negative feelings in a family meeing Development task of teen Developing mature relationships Preparing for marriage and family living Preparing for an occupation

Family Structure The structure of a family can influence many areas of a child’s life Not all family structures will look the same It is important the family fulfills it functions and meets the needs of each family members

Siblings Siblings is a brother or sister Being the first, the last, middle or only child can make a difference in a child’s development

Sibling Position First Child Parents are usually idealistic with their first child High expectations Given more responsibility in the family May be required to set example and care for younger children May develop skills such as: Making decision Organizing task Supervision others

Youngest Child Often receives a lot of attention Many times older siblings will complete task that the youngest child could do because of this youngest child may be slow to develop self- help skills and how to express themselves In some families, expectations for the youngest child are lower from older to younger also they might provide fewer limits and responsibilities

Middle Child Not given the responsibility as the oldest child or the same attention as the youngest child Some become pacemaker Some middle children put extra effort into their work to outdo an older sibling, others respond by choosing unacceptable activates that will get attention

Only Child May take longer to resolve conflicts with playmates Spend more time one on one with adults This can cause immature actions and attidues

Your Cultural Heritage and Society Families are strongly influenced by its cultural heritage Cultural Heritage is learned behavior that is passed from generation to generation Holidays Foods you eat Religious traditions or ceremonies Families pass on their customs and traditions to their children

The School Environment Experiencing new situations and becoming more self- reliant Families needed to give encouragement to help adjust to their new environment A quality school environment provides a setting that encourages students to learn and grow Teachers help students with praise and encouragement

Then Influence of Peers Peers are the people who are the same age Share common experiences as they are in the same age group Peers can also influence the plans you make for future As teen spend time with their friends, they learn to develop close relationships This is important because it prepares you adult for marriage

Your Community’s Influence Your community is part of your environment Example housing, schools, parks and recreation programs Resources available Jobs Clean air and healthful environment Available shopping Religious Institutions

Technology and the Environment Technology is a powerful element in today’s environment Technology influence: Food you eat Clothes you wear Car you drive Work you do

The Influence of Media and Electronic Entertainment Media – television, radio, newspaper, magazines and the internet; used to communicate with large groups of people and in many cases provide entertainment as well The creators of media and entertainment can influence the public – sometimes without people realizing it is happening

The Effects of Advertising Advertising strongly influences how you spend your money. It is designed to stimulate sales of good and services by giving you information about the item. Advertisers constantly try to persuade you to choose their products over others

Stress, Violence, and the Global Environment Some stress is positive because it prompts a person to act Extreme or long-term stress can have a negative effect on your growth. It can put the body in a state know as fight or flight

The Environment in the Adult Years A person’s job Marriage and Parenting

Responding with Resiliency Scientists are constantly learning new things bout the brain and the human body’s amazing ability to respond with resiliency. That means the body adjust to setbacks and makes changes to service and reach its maximum growth and development.