Introduction
This essay is on a 16-year-old girl who receives pressure from her friends to sneak out of the house on Friday night after her parents are asleep to attend a party. Her usual curfew is at eleven p.m. This is a common scenario among teenagers nowadays. There are five components of wise judgment, and all of them apply to this scenario. This can help the young girl develop a solution, or an answer, to the situation. These wise judgment components include factual knowledge about matters of life, procedural knowledge, lifespan contextualism, recognition and management of uncertainty, and relativism regarding the solution. This essay focuses on how each of them can be applied to this scenario. The article goes ahead to discuss the rationale behind my decision (Bolt, 2004, p. 94-95).
Factual knowledge about matters of life
This entails knowledge about the nature of human beings, social norms, and interpersonal relations. The 16-year-old girl should consider how these aspects apply to her situation. Men behave arrogantly at night, and the young girl may expose herself to the risk of rape. This is the nature of rapists because they operate at night in most cases. Society does not allow teenagers to go out for parties at night.
Such events are for adults who can differentiate between what is right or wrong. The young girl should put into consideration the societal expectation in this situation. The teenager should also consider how her decision will affect her relationship with her family members. People usually attend night parties as couples or dating individuals. The teenager is not stable to be in a relationship, and following the party alone may make her feel out of place. (Bolt, 2004, p. 94-95).
Procedural knowledge
This comprises strategies for weighing goals and handling life’s problems, ways of providing advice, and methods of dealing with conflicts. The teenager should plan for her life well by prioritizing her goals. She should concentrate on achieving her academic goals than seeking pleasure. Education will equip the 16-year girl for the future. On the other hand, the party does not add value to her (Bolt, 2004, p. 94-95). The girl should lay down all her goals from the most helpful one to the one she can do without. She should thrive to achieve those that are top on her list. This will assist her in making the right decision from the situation. She should also handle the friends in a respectable manner. It is in order for her to take the case in a way that shows she loves friends, even if she can not give in to their suggestion.
Lifespan contextualism
This is the knowledge about various contexts and roles of life. The girl should understand that the night parties have alcoholic drinks, which she should not take. The party may also have dances that are not suitable for teenagers. Friday night parties are for adults to release tension after a long week of work. The young girl should attend recreational activities that meet her expectations (Bolt, 2004, p. 94-95).
The young girl has to consider attending parties that take place in contexts that meet her needs. A night party may take place in pubs where teenagers should not step. She should think of parties in schools, churches, family friend’s houses and during the day. The 16-year-old girl should also attend parties that have a role in her life. This may include birthday parties for friends, Christmas parties at school, celebrations at school, just to name a few. This will help in integrating the young girl into society, which is a positive contribution to her wellbeing.
Recognition and management of uncertainty
This is the awareness that human beings have limited knowledge and that they can not fully understand the future in advance. This means that they cannot predict life. The teenager may not tell what awaits her by moving out at night. She may fall into the hands of gangs, rapists, wild animals, just to name a few. Going to the party at night is risky for the 16-year-old girl (Bolt, 2004, p. 94-95). The girl can contaminate sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDs as a result of rape. Attacks from gang robbers or dogs can make the 16-year-old girl lose her life. This means that the young girl could destroy her destiny by going to the party. She should think of her decision well because she does not understand what the future holds for her. She should not give her life to chances by getting out of the house at night.
Relativism regarding solution
This is the acknowledgment of personal and cultural differences in life priorities and values. The girl has to appreciate the fact that her friends have their individual preferences and values, and she should not go by them. She has to set her priorities right and live by them. She should not submit to this pressure because they do not share similar cultural beliefs and life priorities (Bolt, 2004, p. 94-95). She should compare her cultural expectations with those of her friends before making a final decision. She should not make a decision blindly without considering her personal and cultural values. This will show that she has respect for both herself and her friends. She should understand that her friends have a right to their views. However, her final decision should be independent of any pressure from the outside environment.
Conclusion
This is an essay on a teenage girl who receives pressure from her close friends to sneak out of the house on a Friday when her parents are sleeping to go to a night party. If the teenager intends to come up with a wise decision, she should critically analyze the consequences of giving in to the suggestion. This will help her come up with the best choice for the situation. My best advice for her is that she should not expose her life to the risk of sneaking out of the house and going for the night party.
The dangers of going to the party include rape, attack from gangsters, exposure to alcoholism, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, just to name a few. The girl has to consider whether the consequences of the night party are worth the risk she may be exposing her life. She should critically analyze her feelings for the party and then come up with the right decision.
Reference
Bolt, M. (2004). Pursuing human strengths: An upbeat psychology guide. New York: Worth Publishers.