The sex education of adolescents. A value-oriented attitude toward health.

Our study represented an attempt to approach the handling of the problem of the sex education of adolescents from the stand-point of their value- oriented attitude toward their health. Since 1994-95 a program that we worked out for the development of children’s correct attitude toward their health has been being tested in various schools of Russia [3; 7]. A separate block in this program (with the title “Your Health”) is intended for adolescents. It includes the following sections: a section on hygiene (physiology) for students in fifth and sixth grades (“Your Health: Strengthening the Organism” [4]); a section on morality and psychology for students in seventh grade (“Your Health: Regulation of the Mind” [5]); and a section on sex (“Your Health: The Formation of Sexuality” [6]). Hence the program reflects the most vital problems that have to do with the health of adolescents including problems of their sex education. A characteristic feature of our program is the fact that we propose a new approach to the problem of guiding the sexuality of adolescents on the basis of the need and information approach. According to P.V. Simonov [17] there is always a prevailing or dominating need in the hierarchy of an individual’s basic needs which constitutes the “nucleus” of his personality that is the most essential personality trait. It follows that sex education of adolescents ought to be linked primarily to the satisfaction of their needs for self-understanding and goal setting needs that come to the forefront during this period of their development. Otherwise a harmful transformation can take place in the motivational sphere of their sexual behavior with all the negative consequences that can ensure [3; 6; 8]. (excerpt)