THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This study will utilize Betty Neumans system model as its primary
framework. This model proposes that the client whether in a state of wellness or
illness, is composite of interrelationships of variables-physiological, psychological,
socio cultural, developmental, and spiritual. Each client as a system is in dynamic,
constant energy exchange with the environment.
The teenager born during the years 1990-2000 has been affected by and is in
continuous interaction with the environment. Since birth the child interact with her
environment. Initially her first environment is her family where she learns roles,
discovers her identity, develops socialization skills and cultivates ability to meet her
needs and control of impulses. This interpersonal relationship and social
experiences facilitates the shaping of her personality and behavior.
Freud adds that through parenting process, the person learns role
stereotypes, and resolves tasks of gender awareness, differentiation, and
identification. Resolution of these tasks leads to the need to achieve higher
developmental tasks from childhood to adolescence period (Gabbard, 2000). As the
Socialization process expands from family to community, the person as well needs
to adapt to the changes that occurs in both her internal and external environment.
The society which includes the church, school, friends, and families affect how a
teenager reacts to their environment.
During adolescence period, peer group assume great importance. The peer
group provides a sense of belonging, pride, social learning and sexual roles. Roy
states that social integrity is knowing who one is in relation to others so that one
can act appropriately. In the role behavior in groups is the means through which the
social system achieves goals and function mode in groups is termed role clarity.
Most peer groups have well-defined, sex specific modes of acceptable behavior
which defines how an adolescent should behave to be attuned with the group
culture. If in a group, the adolescent should conform to this group norms and culture
which eventually may influence their engagement into risk taking behaviors such as
sexual activities, substance abuse. Although experimentation in these young ages
are considered normal today, adolescents are put into early sexual initiation that
leads them to have frequent sexual intercourse and older sexual partners in their
teen years. These then leads them more to engage in unplanned sex and caused
them to be pregnant. (Kozier, 2002., American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005). Young
teens are highly cognizant of their physical appearance and social behaviors,
seeking acceptance within a peer group.
Sullivan extended the description of personality development through stages.
He emphasized the importance of the development of the self concept and
discussed how this progress through adolescence (Sullivan, 1953). During the
adolescent period lust is added to interpersonal equation Relationship shifts to the
opposite sex and they seek for new opportunities for social experimentation that
leads to the consolidation of their self-esteem (Adapted from Gabbard, 2000). Their

self concept is developed based on the feedback, approval and degree of

acceptance they receive from the environment. As interpersonal relationship
expands, attraction and intimacy towards the opposite is developed, which initially
can be a source of belonging but may turn out to be intimacy then later on, sexual
attraction.
Adolescents usually start dating with a set of group of friends that eventually
progress into two people that share their common interest, and the intention of
getting to know each other. In older times the traditional way of dating is that the
suitor visits the girl at home, writes love letters and serenades the girl but now with
the use of technology and social networks are the modern way of courtship or
dating in Philippines and if they find each other interesting they will engage into
relationships that may lead them to engage in sexual activities.

In relation to teenage pregnancy, using system theory, the researchers

deduce that several factors can affect the life of a teenager which can either protect
or make her at risk for pregnancy. Physiological changes during the adolescence
period give rise to bodily changes and hormonal release which may affect how the
adolescent perceive the self and eventually influence her interaction with other
people especially her relation with the opposite sex. At puberty, the sexual organs
begin to grow and mature. Menarche (onset of menstruation) begins and starts
adolescence.
Psychologically, adolescents adjust to a new body image which requires
adaptation to emerging sexuality. They also establish the emotion of separation
from their parents due to conflicts and misunderstandings which may lead to the
establishment of personal sense of identity because they think that they can handle
their selves (Ingersoll GM, McAnarney E., 1992). With this adolescents try to
substitute family with friends in order for them to feel that they are loved and they
belong. This peer relationship, depending on the quality and composition of the
group, may influenced their identity development, as it exerts pressure to each
member of the group. Being exposed to peer pressure and the environment, she
develops sexual interests in peers that influence psychosocial issue during
adolescence such as teenage pregnancy.
Within each client system, is a set of internal resistance factors known as
lines of resistance, which function to stabilize and return the client to the usual state
of wellness or possibly to a higher level of stability following an environmental
stressor reaction.
Protective factors such as reciprocal determinism, self- efficacy, and Selfregulatory is the capability of the self to have personal control over its own
thoughts, feelings, motivations, and actions (Bandura, 1977). This capability of self
regulatory has been influenced as well by the family values, social standards,
religious teaching and morality level of the adolescent which are products of her
interaction with her environment. Should the teen able to resist pressure from the

environment and her id, she may not engage into sexual activities that prevent
her from becoming pregnant, example of these are personal protective factors such
as believing in a saying that she will only engage in sex after marriage, ability to
say no to sex, knowledge about use of contraceptives as a preventive measure to
pregnancy, fear of acquiring STDs or HIV infections. A societal protective factor
such as a teenager currently enrolled to an In-school program, participates in
service learning program, implementation of a consistent sexuality education and
HIV or AIDS education, Familial protective factors such as family advocates,
abstinence from sexual activity after marriage, and parents who did not allow their
child to engage in premarital sex.