Standards

IV. Individual Development and Identity

Personal identity is shaped by one’s culture, by groups, and by institutional influences. How do people learn? Why do people behave as they do? What influences how people learn, perceive, and grow? How do people meet their basic needs in a variety of contexts? Questions such as these are central to the study of how individuals develop from youth to adulthood. Examination of various forms of human behavior enhances understanding of the relationships among social norms and emerging personal identities, the social processes that influence identity formation, and the ethical principles underlying individual action. In schools, this theme typically appears in units and courses dealing with psychology and anthropology.

In the middle grades, issues of personal identity are refocused as the individual begins to explain self in relation to others in the society and culture.

Georgia Curriculum Standards

Grade 6, 7, and 8 Health

Strand: Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs

2 Topic: Effects

Standard: Analyzes the impact of the use of alcohol, tobacco products, and other drugs on the individual, family, and community.

3 Topic: Consequences

Standard: Recognizes and assesses the effects that alcohol and other drugs could have on individuals operating vehicles and other equipment, including the consequences of riding or being with someone under the influence.

4 Topic: Risk Factors

Standard: Assesses personal risk factors (e.g., heredity, family and peer drug use, and academic failure) and protective factors (e.g., positive adult models, coping skills, knowledge of resources, and self-sufficiency) for drug use.