EDPY 304: Adolescence 

 

Topic 9: Intimacy

Part 1: Flex-Learning Activity:

 

 (1) your current notion of intimacy

 

My current notion of "intimacy" after really doing some reading and learning from this course is not restricted to the idea of "romance." This is why I chose the picture below (taken from the wix image library). It shows two people who can really trust eachother and are comfortable around eachother, which is what I think intimacy is all about. The picture could be either a boyfriend + Girlfriend, or it could also show to very close friends, or a brother and sister even. It can be interpretted in many ways, but the most important part is that it shows the trust and comfort that should exist when we think and show  "intimacy." I think that is one thing that I would really emphasize to my students. I would emphasize that intimacy does not only mean or exist between two people engaging in romantic activites/relationships, but it exists between friends and family too, just in a different way and form. As talked about in our lesson on Thursday, and defined in Dr. Cormier's class notes, intimacy means "Emotional sense of attachment to someone with whom you share personal knowledge (Dr. Cormier, Class Notes for Topic 9, EDPY 304). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) your recalled notion of intimacy when you were 14 years old 

 

The image below (taken from http://www.hdfreepics.com/romantic-paintings-couples-holding-hands/romantic-paintings-of-couples-holding-hands-4/) shows two people holding hands. From what I recall, that is what I envisioned inimacy to be like when I was 14 years old. I thought it meant that two people had to be dating and holding hands all the time. My understanding of intimacy has definitely changed quite a bit since I have grown up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3) intimacy from the perspective of someone who is currently an adolescent. 

 

From class discussions and from the readings, my understanding of what an adolescent today would think about intimacy is in the image below (taken from the Wix image library). I think that adolescents today think of intimacy as being a very exclusive thing that is only between two people who "like" or are "in-love" with eachother. Most adolescents think of relationships as being all about "passion," as mentioned in class, which as defined in the notes, "[passion is about] physical attraction and sexual desire" (Cormier, 2015). This is why I thought of this image, because I don't think adolescents fully understand what intimacy is. I think, as a teacher, it is my responsibility to educate students on what this very meaningful term means. I would integrate this topic into my health unit on relationships and really address this misconception and educate students sooner and in the appropriate setting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 2: Reflection:

 

 

I think one way that I will need to adjust my perception of intimacy and self-disclosure in order to work effectively with adolescents is to do a little bit more research on adolescents and their interpretations of "intimacy."  I would do this in order to fully understand why they think about intimacy this way, and how I can use this knowledge to try and help them better-understand this concept. I would use this new found understanding and research to integrate into my lessons, particularly in the health classes. In order to teach my students effectively, I first really need to understand where they are coming from. Even though I have just barely left the adolescence-stage of my life, observing the way that early-adolescents think today is quite different. They are truly in the age of social media and digital media. Many of times, they reflect intimacy with how celebrities show intimacy, as seen on social media. Or how the assumed social/cultural norm of intimacy is reflected in their small adolescent communities. As a teacher, I need to take the time to reflect and understand my adolescent-student's thought-patterns in order to effectively educate them on what intimacy truly means. 

 

The video integrated below is a a video that was provided in class. It talks about how today's influence coming from digital and social media has changed and is changing current adolescents understanding of the word "intimacy." I really encourage you to take a look: