Psychology

Adolescence is a stage when the young people are required to develop knowledge, attitude, and skills that they require in order to become sexually healthy. During their growth to maturity, the young individuals require accessibility to information that is correct regarding their sexuality. It is therefore important for parents, educators, and policy makers to have an understanding of the adolescences knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors so as to support them.

Sexuality in Adolescents
The teenagers have different attitudes towards sexuality some of which are casual whereas others have strong and stable attitudes towards the same. Nevertheless, in the United States, most teenagers seem to be having a casual approach towards certain aspects of sexuality. To some teenagers, oral sex is not considered as a serious sexual act in comparison to vaginal sex. The casual attitude towards oral sex has demystified the practice and the teenagers no longer shy away from the practice. However, a small percentage is of the view that any sexual activity should be avoided until one is mature enough to understand the meaning and consequences. They think that sexual activities should only be allowed when one is emotionally mature andor in marriage relationships (Couric, 2005). The case of the sixteen year old boy who expressed a negative attitude towards sex has surprised many. Andrew Zollner sees sex as dirty, dangerous, illicit, shameful, mysterious, and frightening as opposed to the average American teenagers (The Onion, 2002).

Adolescent egocentrism has had an impact on the reasoning of the teenagers about sex and the use of contraceptives. Most adolescents are filled with the desire to satisfy their needs without any regard to what could be the consequences to the other partner. Those engaged in oral sex have claimed that they were forced to engage so as to satisfy the needs of their boyfriends or in an effort to avoid intercourse for fear of its consequences. The boys have reportedly refused the use of condoms especially during oral sex so as to enjoy the real pleasure of the act. Egocentrism therefore can be seen as having faded the importance of using a contraceptive especially when the sex is not penetrative. Some teenagers especially the girls have been forced to engage in sexual activities in an effort to satisfy their boyfriends needs (Couric, 2005).

Sexual scripts are the elements of behaviors that lead to sexual encounters which are in most cases culturally defined. Sexual scripts are used to provide the guidelines for the accepted sexual behavior and sexual encounters within a given cultural setting. Research on sexual scripts has shown that sexual scripts are usually gendered and therefore can be argued to be a form of social construction within a given cultural setting. Sexual scripts usually influence behavior in the sense that they define sex roles where men are encouraged to take initiative and persist and women are expected to set the limits. Tradition dictates that women have less freedom in sexual matters as compared to men (Stromberg, 1999).

Forced sexual behavior has numerous repercussions ranging from physical, emotional and psychological destruction. Sexual harassment and abuse may result in the victim undergoing emotional and psychological turmoil which can be detrimental to the general wellbeing of the individual. Emotional and psychological distress can lead to severe depression and suicidal thoughts when to the extreme. Forced sexual behavior may also result in unwanted pregnancies, physical harm in the reproductive area, and venereal disease contraction including HIVAIDS (Couric, 2005). Teenagers should be informed about this type of behavior and the ensuing consequences at the same time they should be taught about the best sexual behavior practices.

Some of the problems associated with teenage pregnancy include those related to health, social and emotional status of the young mothers. There is an increased risk of premature labor which can have serious health impacts to both the mother and the kid. The young mother may also not seek the necessary medical care which is very necessary for their well being. The mother is also going to discontinue with her education which is necessary for a better future. Teen pregnancy has been found to result in underweight babies and the kids may also have some problems in learning and behavioral issues. The impact in the family is also widespread as the younger siblings are likely to engage in the same act (Nuble, 2005).

The myths, risks, and the prevalence of the STDs are worrying especially amongst the youthful population. The teenage population is found to be sexually active and therefore parents have to take the initiative to teach their children on the consequences of engaging in pre-marital sex. It is only through concerted efforts that the issues relating to youth sexuality can be addressed with some success. The youth are known to succumb to peer pressure at times but discussing sexuality with the adults can go along way in easing the consequences of their sexual behavior (Couric, 2005).

Conclusion
With earlier sexual maturation being accompanied by delays to adulthood and marriage, it has been a great challenge to preach abstinence to the youth of today. Nevertheless, I still advocates for the parents not to relent in their efforts to encourage abstinence but at the same time be flexible and allow for safer sex in extreme cases where abstinence is deemed to fail. The parents, the teachers and the community at large have the task of molding the adolescents into sexually responsible individuals through the provision of educative and resourceful information regarding youth sexuality. The adolescents should be encouraged to engage in interactive communication with the above stakeholders so as to identify the way they can be assisted in their sexual development issues.