TURNING-POINT OF LIFE.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 August 1933, Page 6

TURNING-POINT OF LIFE.

THE ORDEALS OF ADOLESCENCE. W.E.A. LECTURE. Tho Levin W.E.A. diseiissiou course on “Problems of .liiinmn Naiure” wa.continued on Tuesday evening with a lecture entitled “The .Menial llygi ene of the Adolescent,” by .Mr A, E. Campbell, ALA., Dip. Ed. Ihe allendauce was 25. Air E. Eycette look 111 = * chair, and the lecture was read by Air Hocking. The lecture dealt with the characteristics, physical ami mental, of the adolescent boy and girl, and with the problems connected with their development. The period of adolescence, often described in lyrical terms as “a golden age,” “a new birth of mind and body,” or “the most precious period of the whole lifetime,” was a critical age, marked by profound and sometimes dramatic changes. Tire physical changes, the lecturer stated, were the most obvious, rapid increase in height and weight rendering movements uncontrolled and clumsy, bringing about the awkward hobblc-de-hoy stage. With these changes went the development of the secondary sexual characteristics, due to the maturation of the sox organrs, these physiological changes accounting in part for the emotional developments common to adolescence.

There was a widening of intellectual horizons and an intensification of the emotional life, following broadly three main lines of development: — 1. An increased feeling for the self, leading in some cases to acute self-con-sciousness and self-criticism in the search for stability. Hero-worship an 1 (he groping after an ideal were characteristic of this ago, also the distraction and conflict resulting from Hie existence in the youth of diverse selves. There was a healthy urge to become independent, to break loose from the ties of child life. ’Parents would do well to exercise wise judgment and refrain from domination which might result in an interference with emotional development, 'rendering the boy or girl unable' in later life to shoulder the full responsibilities of adult age. The urge to achieve independence would argue against the keeping of boys and girls too long at school. Mention was here made of the difficulties arising from the existing economic conditions. Ihe youth without work was likely to feel frustrated and rejected by society, his dominant impulses blocked all along the line. 2. The second great development during adolescence was the rise of sex emotions. The lecturer invited discussion of the* question of co-education, and the conclusion reached was that the movement in this direction tended to a normal, healthy attitude to the opposite sex. Ignorance and the separation of the sexes during adolescence were a fruitful source of anxiety, likely to have serious effects on the individual’s general health. Coeducation could greatly diminish these evils. 3. The development of the aesthetic, social and religious emotions, which showed itself in a renewed interest in drawing and painting, in a heightened feeling for natural beauty, and in intense religious experiences. A phase of intense emotional excitement might be followed by a period of scepticism. The lecturer concluded with the remark, that while it was possible to over-stress the degree of emotional instability during normal adolescence, y«t parents and teachers would do Veil to make an effort to understand the needs of the period, so that nothing more serious would result than occasional moodiness and fits of rebellion. The discussion was taken up with interest, the questions dealing mainly • matters of education, and the problem of the degree of parental control during adolescence. LEVIN BRANCH FIXTURES. The next lecture will be “The .Mental Hygiene of the Adult,” by Professor Hunter. Next week the “Box” course will be continued, with Box (5, “Some More Good Songs. ’ It has been arranged for the tutororganiser, Mr J. A. Brailsford, to give a lecture entitled “Great Cartoon Humour,” embodying the work of Mr David Low, the famous New Zealander. The lecture, which will be illustrated by lantern slides, will be held on Monday, August 14th, in the Kogent Social Hall.