What Decreases a Teen's Confidence?
The teen years are times of tremendous change as a child grows into an adult. There are hills and valleys to this journey. Having doubts and low self-esteem can lead to making bad decisions with long-term consequences. Girls who feel badly about how they look may be prone to depression or eating disorders and more likely to smoke, according to MayoClinic.com. Body image is only one factor that can affect confidence in teens as they learn more about who they are and will become.
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Body Changes
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Hormones and body changes are part of life for a teen and can be embarrassing. Teens may compare themselves to their peers, or worse, to airbrushed media images of perfection. Dealing with new surprises, such as acne caused by increased oil production in adolescent skin or weight gain due to hormone changes, can shake confidence. Body image is tied to how a teen feels about her looks, rather than how she actually looks.
Social Pressures
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Peers are more important to teens than ever and also a source of judgment that can shake the most confident. Wearing the wrong pair of jeans can be a humiliating experience. Instant messaging and online social networking can amplify embarrassments and even turn into another form of bullying. ̶0;Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent,̶1; Eleanor Roosevelt once said. Picking friends carefully and ignoring the opinions of others are good strategies for surviving the high school hallways with self-confidence. All bully behavior should be reported to a trusted adult.
Parents
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Teens are exerting more independence, but they still need their parents. The number one wish of teen girls surveyed was to have better communication with their parents, according to Do Something, a nonprofit organization that encourages young people to make a difference and help to bring about social change. Parents can be role models, an example of values, and a source of support and advice. A lack of these can lead to poor choices and a lack in confidence in teens.
School
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Grades, homework and test performance can cause stress and cause teens to question their abilities. A teen might say, ̶0;I̵7;m too dumb,̶1; or ̶0;I can̵7;t do math,̶1; after getting a disappointing score. High achievers are not immune to a lack of confidence when it comes to schoolwork. Without confidence, they avoid trying new things and are afraid of failure or lowering their GPA. Tying goals to effort, rather than results, gives students the power to control their circumstances and the means to change them. It is the difference of a teen making a goal to complete all assignments on time for the semester and a teen with a goal of getting on the high honor roll.
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Theres no official age for preteen, but its generally considered to be the time between 9 and 12 years old. However, its important to remember that this is just a general guideline. Every child develops at their own pace, so some children might enter