Saša Kovačević

When discussing intimacy in the classroom environment, we very quickly came to the conclusion that intimacy and sex are not synonymous, and that the notions and adolescent would experience about intimacy and self-disclosure would be very different that that of an adult. Through our discussions, we deemed that intimacy and self-disclosure often occurred from us when common goals and aspirations were shared. They often did not revolve around intercourse, because the goals and aspirations had a truer meaning, while these did not necessarily have to been tied to sex. 

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When considering the McMahan and Thomson's (2015) descriptions of intimacy, "an emotional sense of attachment to someone whom one shares personal knowledge and a carver for each other's well-being," and self-disclosure, "the process in which individuals communicate to others intimate information about their experiences and feelings," we can begin to understand why sex may involve more intimacy and self-disclosure for adolescents when compared to their adult counterparts (p.336). When an adolescent does have intercourse, it is often within the context of a relationship, which often involve more self-disclosure. As we also saw with break-ups, both intimacy and self-disclosure are a big deal. Keeping this in mind, I think it is very important for us as educators to take these relationships seriously, and address concerns about intimacy and self-disclosure to the same severity that we would do with our adult peers.

 

The Centre for Parenting Education had a variety of resources and information for how to have conversations that relate to intimacy, relationships and sex. Specifically, this article discussed what conversations to have about these items. I really found that many of them would make the teen fell empowered to make an educated decision. As with many items previously discussed, I strongly believe that informing is a much better approach to perpetrating fear.

 

Further, some feel that social media and technology are ruining the notion of intimacy. Stefana Broadbent would beg to differ. In her TedTalk, below, she shows how social media and technology are influencing intimacy, and actually allowing for deeper connections and relationships that overcome barriers. While her talk does focus on strengthening relationships that might be existing, I believe that it shows that technology is not necessarily a deterrent in our adolescents.