Healthy & Respectful Relationships – Key Vocabulary

Key Concepts & Learning Objectives

• Unit Focus: Healthy & Respectful Relationships (Chapter 8, Unit 2 – Health & Human Development)
• Key knowledge
  • Characteristics of healthy & respectful relationships
  • Impact of these relationships on health, wellbeing, and development
• Key skills
  • Analyse the role of healthy & respectful relationships in achieving optimal health & wellbeing (H&W)
• Learning intentions
  • Understand what constitutes a relationship and its various types
  • Explain how healthy/respectful relationships foster optimal H&W and development
• Success criteria (students should be able to …)
  • List different relationship types
  • Outline characteristics of healthy/respectful relationships & good communication
  • Identify characteristics of unhealthy/abusive relationships
  • Explain links between relationship quality and each H&W dimension
  • Discuss effects on physical, social, emotional & intellectual development

Definition of “Relationship”

• A connection between two or more people or groups
• Basis can be love, friendship, support, work, shared interests, etc.
• Dynamic—changes with personal growth & shifting circumstances
• All relationships influence health outcomes and personal development
• Classroom activity suggestions
  • Task 1: Students draft their own definition
  • Task 2: Students list every relationship they are part of (family, peers, online, etc.)

Types of Relationships (with examples)

• Family
  • Provide love, security, support; highly diverse structures (nuclear, blended, same-sex parent, single parent, extended, etc.)
  • Parenting style is a major moderator of H&W outcomes (see detailed section)
• Friendships
  • Usually grounded in shared interests or experiences
  • Offer emotional support & decision-making help; can be positive or negative influences
• Online Relationships
  • Created/maintained via social networking platforms across all ages
  • Advantages: staying connected over distance, finding niche communities
  • Risks: false intimacy, cyber-bullying, privacy concerns
• Intimate Relationships
  • Involve strong emotions and/or physical attraction; often become sexual
  • Relies heavily on shared values/beliefs, consent and communication
• Teachers / Coaches / Mentors
  • Significant figures in a young person’s support network; provide guidance & role-modelling
• Professional Relationships (Workplace)
  • Frequent interaction in work environment
  • Require support, openness, trust, respect & clear communication

Family Relationships & Parenting Styles

• Video example: modern diverse family (YouTube link provided in class)
• Four main parenting styles and their typical H&W impacts:
  1. Authoritarian
  • Strict rules, no questions; punishment heavy
  • Outcomes: \downarrow emotional & mental H&W (low self-esteem, anxiety)
  1. Authoritative
  • Rules + reasonable exceptions; consequences > punishment; positive rewards
  • Outcomes: better decision-making skills, enhanced social H&W
  1. Permissive
  • Friend-like parents, minimal discipline, rarely discourage bad behaviour
  • Outcomes: issues with authority/rules, academic difficulty, \uparrow sadness & poor mental H&W
  1. Uninvolved
  • Little interest, failure to meet basic needs; often linked to parental MH or substance issues
  • Outcomes: child feels rejected, poor self-esteem, reduced emotional & mental H&W
• Case study task: “From tiger to free-range parent” (pp. 390-393) links these styles to real scenarios

Friendships

• Can be long-term (childhood best friend) or short-term (class project partner)
• Provide support in difficult times
• Peer influence affects choices in study habits, substance use, physical activity, etc.
  • Positive example: exercising together improves CV health
  • Negative example: peer pressure toward risky behaviours

Online Relationships

• Enabled by platforms such as Instagram, Discord, gaming communities
• Healthy possibilities: collaborative learning, emotional support groups, maintaining distant friendships
• Potential negatives: catfishing, cyber-bullying, unrealistic comparisons

Intimate Relationships & Consent

• Traits
  • Desire to spend significant time together
  • Often progresses to sexual activity after a period
  • Highly individual—shaped by culture, values, religion
• Consent
  • Definition: clear, freely given permission before any sexual activity (or sharing a story/photo, borrowing items, etc.)
  • Must be informed, voluntary, without coercion or threat
  • Legal framework: Without consent, sexual activity is illegal (Victorian legislation referenced)
  • Edu resources: Kids Helpline & Legal Aid websites; “Tea & Consent” video analogy (class discussion on effectiveness)
  • Flow-chart activity: map decision points (ask → yes/no → intoxication? -> legal age? -> proceed/stop)

Coaches, Teachers, Mentors

• Offer positive role-models & feedback loops
• Promote skill acquisition, goal-setting, resilience
• Healthy relationships here encourage school engagement & sporting persistence

Professional (Workplace) Relationships

• Spend large portion of day interacting with colleagues, supervisors, clients
• Core qualities
  • Supportive environment
  • Open, transparent communication
  • Mutual trust & respect
  • Conflict resolution pathways

Characteristics of Healthy & Respectful Relationships

• Respect — value each other’s opinions; act thoughtfully
• Trust — belief in reliability; emotional & physical safety
• Honesty — truthfulness, transparency, no secret-keeping
• Loyalty — steadfast support during challenges; consistency
• Empathy — ability to understand/feel another’s experience
• Safety
  • Emotional: safe to share feelings without ridicule
  • Physical: free from harm/abuse; environment promotes wellbeing
• Equality — balanced give-and-take, shared expectations
• Classroom reflection: students rank personal Top-5 characteristics to individualise concept

Good Communication

• Importance: sharing interests, aspirations, concerns; underpins support & problem-solving
• Two major forms
  • Verbal: spoken words & active listening
  • Non-verbal: gestures, posture, facial expressions, eye contact
• Characteristics of effective communicators (Figure 8.7)
  • Maintain eye contact
  • Ask relevant questions; respond actively & constructively
  • Speak at appropriate volume; clear & unhurried
  • Respect personal space (appropriate distance)
  • Show interest—listen attentively, lean in, affirm
  • Align tone & body language with context
  • Activity: Watch “How to Be a Good Communicator” (YouTube) and identify examples

Unhealthy & Abusive Relationships

• General definition: inhibits personal growth; one cannot be their best self
• Warning signs
  • Put-downs, lack of appreciation, unequal power, low self-esteem, fear, disappointment, harassment
• Types of Abuse (Figure 8.9/8.10 & slide list)
  • Physical: hitting, kicking, biting, punching
  • Sexual: unwanted touching/activity
  • Emotional: repeated insults, put-downs, withholding affection, financial control, social isolation
• Consequences across H&W
  • Anxiety, depression, withdrawal, self-harm, physical injury, potentially death
• Support services (confidential, free)
  • Kids Helpline: 1800\ 55\ 1800
  • Youth Beyond Blue: 1300\ 22\ 4636
  • ReachOut (online forums & resources)
• Classroom video (Kiah & Scott story) discussion prompts
  • Identify unhealthy events
  • Link each event to H&W impacts
  • Role of supportive friend (Jasmine)
  • Developmental implications for victim

Impact of Healthy Relationships on Health & Wellbeing (all 5 dimensions)

• Physical H&W
  • Shared sport/team activities improve cardiovascular fitness & maintain healthy body weight
  • Protection from injury due to absence of violence
• Social H&W
  • Positive interactions, mutual support, sense of community
• Emotional H&W
  • Easier recognition & management of emotions
  • Supportive communication helps process sadness or disappointment
• Mental H&W
  • Lower stress & anxiety via shared problem-solving
  • Increased self-esteem & confidence through supportive feedback
• Spiritual H&W
  • Sense of belonging/connectedness
  • Enhanced meaning & purpose through varied relationship roles

Impact of Healthy Relationships on Development

• Physical Development
  • Positive relationships with coaches/friends encourage practice → enhances gross & fine motor skills (e.g., netball improves hand–eye coordination)
  • Negative relationship with coach may decrease attendance → stagnated skill development
• Social Development
  • Cooperation, conflict resolution, effective communication learned in friendship & family contexts
• Emotional Development
  • Safe expression of feelings without fear of rejection
  • Low stress contexts refine emotional recognition & support for others (e.g., discussing jealousy and finding resolution)
• Intellectual Development
  • Encouragement from friends & teachers increases class participation, homework completion, problem-solving, creativity
  • Good teacher-student rapport encourages risk-taking in learning (trial & error, innovation)

Activities & Application Tasks (for exam practice)

• Textbook 8.2 Activities (p. 374)
  • Identify key characteristics per relationship type + justification
  • Consent flow-chart using “Tea” analogy video
• 8.2 Test Your Knowledge Q1-7; exam-style Q2, 4, 5 (pp. 375)
• Case Study p. 378-379 + 8.3 Test Your Knowledge Q1-4
• 8.4 Test Your Knowledge Q1-4 (p. 306); Edrolo question set
• In-class quizzes (slides 41–42) for quick recall

Review & Quick-Check Prompts

• List the seven characteristics of healthy & respectful relationships
• State three key differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships
• Outline five traits of a good communicator
• Identify six relationship types discussed in the course

Ethical, Philosophical & Practical Implications

• Ethical duty to seek/give consent protects autonomy and legal rights
• Societal benefit: healthy relationships reduce burden on healthcare and justice systems
• Philosophical lens: Respect & equality align with principles of human dignity & mutual flourishing
• Practical classroom relevance: Role-playing consent, communication skills, boundary setting, and by-stander intervention fosters safe school culture