Play to be You

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in Communications 2

PLAY TO BE YOU
Play can help in character and identity formation of teenagers
Adolescence in teenagers is usually marked by the changes in
their bodies, relatively new environments (transition from grade
to

high

school

and

then

to

college)

and

emotional

and

psychological adjustments. At a subjective point of view, it has

been

and

is

being

observed

among

teenagers

that

they

have

frequent mood swings, inexplicable behaviors, impulsive decisions

and concealment of their feelings and own self (Packard). In some
extreme cases, teenagers feel unknown and unappreciated so they
display rebellion by words, actions and even their choice in
clothing and adornment. Usually, the people around them would not
have any idea how to deal with them or go about it the wrong way.
Development in children needs to address the spheres of emotional
well-being (or mental health), cognitive abilities and school
achievement (or academics), and social skills and experiences (or
social health) as standards of healthy growth (Bennett, Lipman
and Robertson). It is important to realize ones own self in
ones

own

adolescent

time

since

self-identification

development

(Jack).

Adolescents

natural
need

to

task

of

engage

themselves in activities that would bring out their potentials,

kindle

their

senses,

widen

their

perspectives

and

facilitate

learning all at the same time to have a broader sense of self.

Fortunately, with as simple as playing, one can start to bring to
fruition

the

characteristics

phases
and

of

evolving

distinguishing
into

refined

ones
citizen

innate
of

the

country.
The play that this paper would be discussing is defined by Dr.
Gray as an activity opted and directed solely by the child,
intrinsically motivated, structured and it requires alertness and
ardor (Gray). Although play is structured, it doesnt impose that
there is no room for adjustments in the process. It also means

that

play is

focused on

the means

rather than

the end,

the

content of the play and not its consequencealthough most of the

times play has goals, how the goal is achieved is always more
important (Johnson) is what it means for it to be intrinsically
motivated. Lastly, because there are rules, the child should be
alert and conscious where the boundaries lie but at the same time
be ardent, fully immersed in the alternate world (Gray). Play in
this paper includes sports and structured street games (e.g.,
volleyball,

chess

and

hopscotch)

that

share

similar

characteristics to the definition of play. Nonetheless, athletic

sports is the main focus of the term paper without the effects of
economic status on the participation in sporting activities being
focused on.

Self-evaluation
You probably dont know this but physical form and health have
an effect on how you think whether you are a pessimist or
optimist, introvert or extrovert, laid-back or uptight, etc. How
you think about yourself is especially critical particularly if
youre going through upside down, right side left phase called
adolescence. First and foremost, there are many new things going
on during the puberty stage around 12 years old onward (Packard).
Adolescents usually feel like they have been displaced from their
own

body

and

even

their

mind

like

that

of

evolving

they

experience things that only occurs during this stage and onwards
and they think thoughts never before explored (Kroger). In short,
rapid,

successive

and

sudden

changes

cause

these

children

to

become unstable and uncertain (Packard). Finding the ideal self

that one wants to be and to show to the society is the biggest
distress teenagers have but dont know where and how to start
since they are uncertain and unstable. According to Erikson1, the

1 Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New

York: W. W. Norton

interplay

between

individual

biology

(how

one

is

made),

psychology (mental and emotional state) and social recognition

can

be

addressed

to

understand

identity

(Kroger).

Given

this

psychosocial approach, there is already one place to start that

is the easiest and most tangiblehow one looks outwardly.
Physical enhancement
This doesnt mean

that

the

physical

features

would

be

rearranged or reformed like that of surgery. The main point of

developing physical appearance is achieving a state of the body
where the individual is comfortable. It does not also necessarily
mean

that

only

the

exterior

is

concentrated

on

in

terms

of

developing the body because playing affects more than what meets
the eyes. Playing sports, for example, generally improves ones
body like the development of muscles, coordination of the body
parts,

shedding

increased

of

fats

metabolic

and

rates

even

(Cohen).

internal
Regular

functions
play

also

such

as

usually

results to more toned muscles and lesser weight if paired with

consistent

balanced

diet

(Scottsdale).

As

long

as

one

is

comfortable with the changes, one would have a better perception

of

oneself.

perception

In

is

transitivity

achieved,

people

relation,
in

when

general

would

better
also

self-

improve

their perception of the individual.

Play, particularly sports, does not only exercise the skeletal
muscles but the heart and lungs as well. It is known based on
science

classes

that

the

heart

beats

faster

when

engaged

in

physical activity in order to keep up with the demand of oxygen

in the blood to be delivered all throughout the body. Continue
playing and the heart would continue to keep up, avoiding many
heart diseases by keeping the heart active, the blood vessels
unblocked and the blood fresh. The lungs can also be trained to
increase

its

capacity

by

gradually

increasing

intensity

of

exercises (Cohen). These internal benefits are very important

especially since there is a constant rise in people being obese
and acquiring diabetes and heart diseases which are relatively
caused by sedentary lifestyle (Hellmich). It is definitely better

to avoid these cases in order to maintain a good health and

therefore keep a healthy perception of the self.
Despite an improved perception of the self

because

of

achieving an ideal form and bodily state, it is not enough to

become confident over-al (Bennett, Lipman and Robertson)l. One
may have a better perception of oneself but what use is it if
other people would not see or feel the change because one still
constantly

expects

negative

judgment.

In

other

words,

the

individual feels okay about himself but worries that other people
might not feel the same. In this case the next step to finding
oneself is to be confidentsuch that one can stand on his own and
be ones ideal self.
Emotional and Mental Stability
Playing can make anyone experience a wide range of emotions
(Terry)

and

react

to

different

situations

in

novel

ways

as

revealed by similar studies that focused on effects of play and

sports on growing children. Physical activity and sports have
been

researched

to

be

natural

and

effective

substitutes

for

antidepressants based on the findings of Michael Babyaks, Ph.D

study. Another example is the study of van Minnen and his team
who used adults who engage in regular physical activity and
observed they showed lower depressive and anxiety symptoms and
have been observed to release increased BDNF or brain derived
neurotrophic

factor

(Anderson

and

Shivakumar).

Despite

using

adults in the study, the findings could also apply to teenagers

as they are also on the way to being adults. The findings can be
further explained by an animal study that aerobic workout boosts
serotonergic and noradrenergic quantities in the brain, like that
of the results of antidepressants. These findings along with a
2006 study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology further backs up
American College of Sports Medicine suggestions of using exercise
as means to lessen depressive tendencies in adolescents because
depression is a common concern in teenagers (Johnson).
If not depressed, adolescents also become more anxious during
this vulnerable stage. An individual should be able to offset the

feeling of extreme pessimism and worrying which marks anxiety.

Based on an article in the American Journal of Psychiatry where
in a study involves inducing a panic attack in two groups of
subjects suffering from an anxiety disorder: one who had just
finished exercising for 30-minutes and the other who had rested
during this time physical activity helps in reducing anxiety.
The

results

panic

attack

showed
in

lesser

the

number

exercising

of

subjects

group

than

who

the

experienced

control

group

(Scottsdale). Exercising and playing have similar conditions so

one can assume that play can cause similar effects in attenuating
anxiety.
Furthermore, playing can also be the outlet of feelings that
teens want to act upon but cannot because the action in response
to

the

emotion

will

not

be

socially

acceptable

(Terry).

One

example can be if you observe players in basketball or any other

sports, one will probably witness their focus, the drive to win
or at least improve and their enjoymentif not frustration. But
no matter what they are thinking and emotion they are feeling
while playing, the intensity of their thoughts and sentiments is
communicated to the external environment through playing. This
way, one can say that playing can incite feelings not felt before
and create more concepts of how to react to other events outside
the game and in real life and transform the strong emotions into
passion.
There are medications that help regulate these teenage cases
but the more natural the remedy, the better it is. Generally,
studies have shown that playing and its many forms are natural
and

cost-effective

teenagers
tendency

(Johnson)
to

be

mediation
acting

depressed,

to

like

improve
mood

anxious

and

mental

enhancer
stressed

health
that
as

of

lowers
well

as

boosting the capability of controlling emotions and dealing with

stressful circumstances.
By reducing and dismissing feelings of anxiety and depression
one can view the world more optimistically and therefore be more
confident

(Scottsdale).

Imagine

that

teenager

has

positive

outlook in general, he would be able to consider and open up to

novel things without compromising his values and personal views.

He can adopt or choose to ignore other peoples principles at his
own

discretion

because

he

knows

what

he

wants

and

is

more

confident about his choices (Jack). He can then finally fulfill

the next step and that is to define ones own characteristics, be
ones own self and maintain ones self.
Character Building
Continuing regular

playing

can

cause

more

than

physical

changes. At a personal note, if one would start the day with a

short jog or basketball game, chores after that seem not as much
of a hassle as originally perceived. More positive outlook and
increased
easily

as

energy

can

confirmed

help
by

people

attend

Princeton

to

daily

University

tasks

Health

much

Services

(Scottsdale). This is further supported by the statement before

that playing acts like mood enhancer (Johnson). Therefore, an
individual would be able to interact at ease with the people
around on a lighter mood creating a forthcoming impression to
others.
In playing, once an individual has developed a good lasting
impression on others, he will never be left out during games. The
social attitude of an individual is likely to be developed in
active team play (Donahue, Gillis and King). How he acts, what he
says and does during games are things that he will focus on to
remain in good terms and to create cooperation among teammates
(Donahue, Gillis and King). The individual will then develop the
characteristics that he or she wants to keep and create selfconcept.
Play also

develops

discipline

and

sense

of

obligation.

As

teenagers, there are responsibilities that need to be attended to

and these responsibilities are usually about school, family and
friends (Erikson). Since play is characterized to be fun, it is
of course more appealing than real life responsibilities people
have to attend to. But in play and sports, there are rules that
need to be followed, the individual then constructs a line that
should never be crossed because the action or thought accompanied

by it is not socially or even personally acceptable. As long as

that line is clear, discipline should be instilled in the child
since he is obliged to behave accordingly. But more than that,
while adolescents are bound to responsibilities that might cause
stress, it is actually important that a sense of obligation is
achieved

(Erikson).

something,

the

Because

stern

there

attachment

is

to

the

doing

need

the

to

maintain

right

thing

is

stronger, then, obligation develops discipline. That can be said

in team sports when the team members are made to support each
other unconditionally (Donahue, Gillis and King), repressing the
nature to hog the game and maintain the team player demeanor.
Over-all, the development of discipline is important to succeed
in many aspects of life.
Studies are not presenting sports or playing as cure for
anti-deviant behavior, rather they are pushing teaching of antideviance

accompanied

by

play

for

children

to

avoid

risky

behaviors. Playing can take up a teens time and lead him to a

healthier

goals

since

the

study

showed

that

there

have

been

lesser use of illegal substances for players (Johnson).

In the case that of the female youth, its even worse for them
since they have a higher tendency to experience decline in selfesteem during adolescence (Jack). Throughout Jacks manuscript,
the more common findings are that of female athletes presenting
high

self-esteem,

positive

feelings

amplified
about

sense

their

of

body

physical
image.

competence

Which

in

turn

and
is

summarized by a direct relationship of involvement in sports to a

satisfactory overall self-evaluation thereby supporting the idea
that sports participation is one way to counteract the plunge of
self-esteem in adolescent girls (Jack). In particular, girls who
are involved in sports are more likely to have better grades, to
proceed to college, to have discipline and assertive conduct and
to show more leadership potentials (Johnson).

Play in Family and Relationship Ties

The recent generation of kids have evolved to be more of stayat-home kind or at the computer shop (Why sports is a great
outlet for Teenagers). It is actually important that parents show
the kids that physical activity is fun since a study pointed out
that

children

usually

identify

with

what

their

parents

do

(Johnson). They are the strongest influence before adolescence

when peers are the important social influence already.
Through playing, teens can go out and socialize either with
friends or familythat was the point of developing self-concept
(Guest and Schneider), to show the world who one has become. How
to interact and cooperate are heavy impact skills that need to be
brought

later

in

life

(Why

sports

is

great

outlet

for

Teenagers) and they are skills actually addressed by play and

sports.

In

adolescence,

development

is

best

observed

when

relationships (with friends and family) allow the teen to be

oneself all the while keeping connected and intimate with those
important people (Jack). Meaning, a teenager develops his own
character which he is most comfortable with at the same time a
character that conforms well into societal norms for him to have
a healthy growth (Donahue, Gillis and King).
It is found out that play brings together families and peers
(Bennett, Lipman and Robertson). It is an activity that is not
stressful and it involves understanding different personalities
to

achieve

cultivates
important

cooperation
idea

key

of
to

as

different
mastering

team

(Jack).

perspectives,
people,

In

short,

which

again

orchestrating

play
is

people

an
and

gaining healthy interpersonal ambiance.

Play in Academic and Career Management

In todays idealized world, the pressure is real in securing
high-paying

or

at

least

reputable

occupations

pressure

implied upon the mindsets of the youth (Zinsser). Parents are

torn between leaving their child to go and play outside during
free time or enrolling them in supposed practical intelligence-

boosting classes like musical instruments lessons or test-prep

courses

(Henig).

As

Henig

stated

in

magazine

article,

the

common precept about childrens development nowadays is more of

playtime versus rsum building2. The weight of high-achieving
in academics for an edge in future job applications becomes more
often

than

not

overtaxing

and

harrowing

for

many

students

(Zinsser). Play is one of the few pleasures youngsters have to

act their age and to temporarily detach themselves from their
personal struggles. A sweat session may consequently alter their
approach in the serious matters and proceed with an optimistic
attitude (Scottsdale). Which in this age, the serious matter of
teens is a remarkable academic performance and it is a generic
concept

of

good

foundation

in

building

up

an

individuals

future.
What many people believe that play is more of a distraction
than a stimulant is not entirely true (Carollo). Playing actually
facilitates

learning

in

so

many

different

ways

(Shephard)

especially in the physical conditioning of the body. But more

than that, playing usually activates thinking and creativity by
immersing oneself in either new or rehearsed plays (Henig). It is
presumed

that

the

more

complicated

or

the

more

an

activity

requires mind and body coordination the more it stimulates our

brain (Scottsdale). Then, if the brain is constantly exercised
this way, this would also affect work or school brain performance
similarly (Cohen). Like if one plays basketball where strategies
are devised to get the ball moving around team members without it
getting stolen and an impromptu set-play is incorporated; the
dynamic strategizing all the while constant handling of the ball
superbly exercises the brain. Consistent games like these should
maintain the level at which the brain functions thereby elevating
the state at which one thinks. The science behind exercise as a
brain exercise as well is explained by the plenty of studies that
2 Henig, Robin. "Taking Play Seriously." The New York Times 17 February
2008: 1. Internet.

have provided insights for using exercise to enhance memory and

cognition

in

general

(Anderson

and

Shivakumar).

One

study

specifically explained that since exercise causes increase in

BDNF,

there

is

boost

in

serotonergic

functioning

thereby

promoting neuronal growth (Anderson and Shivakumar).

Keeping

the

brain

active

therefore,

is

effective

in

maintaining and keeping neurons from dying out as pointed out by

an evolutionary rule, use it or lose it. But it doesnt always
work

purely

education

in

needs

school
back

work.
up

from

study

points

informal

out

(Guest

that

and

formal

Schneider)

learning activities to keep the brain focused and not bored since
there is lesser stress present (Fujita). Because of the pressures
in school adolescents develop anxiety, this time not because of
personality issues. To function well in school, teens need to
keep trivial worries at bay and it is possible after bouts of
physical activity in between breaks since the anxiolytic effects
last longer that way (Anderson and Shivakumar).
First, the study examined the factors involved that affect the
academic performance of the student athletes. Studies have shown
that time and energy are both required for good performance in
sports and in studies. There must be proper time management that
helps

to

manage

the

studies

and

extra

activities

as

well

(Sitkowski). Playing is indeed distracting since it should be fun

in the first place to be an effective stimulant and it is looks
more alluring than books on the desk. But playing and sports
essentially develops discipline as explained in the paragraphs
before.

By

regularly

engaging

in

active

play,

the

brain

attributes are improved (Trudeau and Shephard) like increased

cerebral blood flow, hormonal level changes, more nutrient intake
and higher arousal (Sitkowski). That is how some playing students
seem to be able to manage schoolwork and extra-curricular so well
since theyre efforts have to be really focused and efficient
(Sitkowski).

There

is

also

another

point

that

since

play

is

supposedly fun, then it is intrinsically motivating so it can

affect concepts or personal orientation of how one responds to

stress in life and the way one views life with all its functions
and obstacles (Sitkowski). That is finally how play and sports
can help you succeed in conquering hurdles and pressures of life.
Conclusion
Although

in general,

several studies

presented have

agreed

about the positive benefits of playing and sports in adolescent

development it cannot be denied that playing cannot affect all
cases (Fujita). Like some studies have indicated low-graduation
rate

and

high

substance

consumption.

The

factors

of

these

undesirable cases have been identified to strongly counter the

good effects of play:
a. Financial lack
Because the teen is pressured to do well in school to
alleviate the family in the future, he will not be inclined
to enjoy himself since he will feel guilty.
b. Absence of supervision and support
Parents still need to monitor who their children play
with,

what

and

uncooperative

how

children

they
that

play.
might

There

might

influence

be

some

their

own

adversely and it would be difficult to reverse the effects

especially since peers are the greater influence now. That
is why play needs to be closely monitored to avoid unwanted
behaviors.
c. Health problems
Play does develop health but not in extreme cases like
that of heart diseases, bone fragility and many others. Play
is not a cure but rather an intervention and a protective
function in the long run.
d. Physical education classes
There are some cases in which classes do not focus on
individual
(Donahue,

improvement
Gillis

and

but

instead

King),

also

compares
if

the

individuals

importance

of

physical activity is not fortified enough. This is a grave

mistake since it lowers the self-value of the student and
might discourage him from participating in sports.

e. Safety
If the
parents

environment

and

children

is

not

will

not

conducive
be

for

encouraged

play,
to

then
play.

Likewise, if the game itself is active and full of contact

(soccer, luksong baka, even see-saw), this might dissuade
teenagers from participating.
Address the problems stated above and play can give teens the
benefits

like

modelling

sportsmanship,

communicating

respectfully, projecting strength and mastery of skill and many

others. That said, through play, one can build up communicative
skills, physical fitness, interpersonal nuance, analytic tendency
and at a cellular level, stronger synaptic connections that leads
to good brain performance. This benefits all affect the self and
character construction that will lead the adolescent into the
future and the real world.

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