Sharing an article I did for a class (Social Work) on the topic. The field is hyper -sexual and I'm trying to serve as a witness even in my discussion post in this PRO-LGBT and hypersexual culture. (Read Below)
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In the case study of Loretta, a 17 year old white female, we find Loretta in a stage of sexual exploration. The case study shows that there are many consequences of her behavior that she is not aware of. As a result she seems to continue recklessly with these behaviors. Though her parents are concerned about her, they do not seem able to modify her behavior.
A Development Stage
Sex and sexuality is a developmental stage that children go through as they enter adolescence (Boyatzis & Junn, 2016). The culture in which adolescents live as well as their family system plays an important role in a healthy transition through this stage (Robinson, Smith, & Davies, n.d). Through the culture, messages are sent concerning what is acceptable and what is expected behaviors, and in the home parents seek to transfer their values to their children often seeking their best interest.
Messages and Values
Loretta finds herself in a stage of sexuality which nowadays is extremely difficult nowadays for children to navigate due to many mix messages. The messages are not only confusing at times to children but is further complicated by the many controversies that surround sex, such are religious values, family values, and societal values (Robinson, et al., n.d). As a professional it seems that we live in a culture that is hyper-sexual. Unfortunately many parents are unaware or in denial that their children are engaged in sexual behaviors (M. Chiweshe, & T. Chiweshe, 2018). As a result social and educational systems often try to play the role of the parent in which society tries to pass on it's values of sexuality to children. This further can add to the divide between society and family and lead to more difficulties in presenting a unified message to adolescents. For Loretta however, her parents are aware of her sexual behaviors, they are however unable to connect with her in a manner that is keeping her safe.
Professional Orientations
Sex can be such a powerful and sensitive topic because sex is a power and sensitive act. Many professionals have their own personal sexual experiences whether positive or negative which may at times inappropriately influence the therapeutic process. As professionals it is important to be aware of our personal values when dealing with such topics as sex. In some situations our values may lead us in the client's best interest and other times it will lead us away from the client's best interest. The first step as professionals is to be aware of our personal biases to make sure that they do not blind our clinical judgment. This however does not mean that a clinician should throw away all of their values to when working with a client, it however means we should be aware of where we stand so that when we overstep being led my our fundamental position, we can better realize potential errors. There can be an opportunity to better serve our clients through the clinical experienced gathered from our caseloads. Relying on more objective data that is not heavily skewed by personal blindspots can be helpful.
A Need for Maturity
When going through any stage of development the goal is maturity. A child growing through the stage of potty training comes out healthy if they can pass through that stage in a mature manner. The same can be said of other stages such as talking, beginning school, etc, etc. Each of these stages has various character traits to be mastered as one passes through the stage. For the stage of sexual development, it seems that the mastery of self-control, self-respect, and purity are great traits that likely characterize successful progression through this stage. Just as a child who never learns to accept "no" from their parents or authority is more likely to be a threat to the police (authority) as an adult, adolescents who do not appropriately mature and gain those needed character traits through the sexual development stage are more inclined to be adults who have a lack of self control and self respect in sexual behaviors (sex offenders, etc). Professionals should facilitate healthy communication with parent and child so that are child's transition through this stage is characterized by maturity through self-control and sexual purity, rather than impulsive sexual exploration and a lack of self-respect.
For example during this stage many teenagers engage in sex-texting in which they send nude pictures of themselves to another. Such would be an example of a behavior that does not lead to maturity, purity, self-respect, or self-control, instead youth are sometimes charged with felonies for such behaviors (Taylor, 2009). Studies show that Parent's involvement in the decision making process of children can be very helpful (Piehler & Winters, 2017). In Loretta's case, facilitating healthy communication with her parents would be a good place to start.
Discussion
Sex is not only a physical act but many believe spiritual as well since a new life comes out of the process. Through the act of sexual intercourse we are able to create life. This is no small matter. Unfortunately because the magnitude of the responsibility that comes with sex often is not realized by adolescents, and it is not always shared in the media or discussed by parents, adolescents often engage in the act of sex with little care of the consequences. As a result there are many unwanted pregnancies which are aborted due to underage sexual exploration (Liu, Farrugia, Vigod, Urquia, & Ray, 2018). Moreover adolescents are usually not in a stage of life that supports such sexual relationships as most teenagers do not have their own housing, are financially dependent on their parents, and have not matured fully in their personality to be in a position to take care of a child or mature enough to deal with the emotional load that a sexual relationship brings.
Reflecting on the classic Stanford Marshmallow experiment which showed a strong correlation between many developmental (and other) benefits with children who were able to show delay gratification. Similarly, it seems that when it comes to the stage of sexual develop society is teaching everything except delayed gratification and parents are either ignoring or inappropriately communicating with their children. We should emphasize an environment of self-control (delay gratification) and sexual purity, which fosters self-respect and maturity; not through ignoring the topic but by fostering healthy parent and child communication. As professionals we should seek the client's best interest while being aware of their family situations the cultural messages and our own beliefs.
References
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abortion tendency between mothers and teenage daughters: a population-based cohort study. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, (4), 95.
Manase Kudzai Chiweshe, & Malvern Tatenda Chiweshe. (2018). ‘Not My Child’: Parents’
Denial About Adolescent Sexuality in Harare, Zimbabwe. Journal of Family and Reproductive Health , Vol 11, Iss 3, Pp 119-127 (2018), (3), 119.
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Taylor, K. R. (2009). “Sexting”: Fun or Felony? Principal Leadership: Middle Level Edition,
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