We've got a lot of stops on our journey towards helping ourselves, so let's get started!

The first theorist that we're going to meet is Charity James. Not that many people have heard of James, but she has a lot of important things to say. James is originally from England and spent about 4 years working and observing in schools all over the United States in the 1970s. She is best known for her idea that adolescents (that's you!) have certain needs that must be met. Now, make sure you know the difference between a need and a want. A need is something that you have to have and a want is something you would like to have.

James thinks that adolescents have twelve needs that must be met. Twelve sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Don't worry, though, because she grouped these twelve needs into polarities. What is a polarity? Well, take off the
"-ity" and you are left with "polar." What does that make you think of? Polar bears maybe! Well, let's take polar bears and run with it. Polar bears live at the North Pole. What is the opposite of the North Pole? The South Pole, of course! A polarity can be thought of like the North and South Poles. You can't have one without the other, they are pretty much opposites and they balance each other out. Let's take a look at these Need-Polarities

According to James, there are 6 polarities.

1.	a need to need	vs.	a need to be needed
2.	a need to move inward	vs.	a need to affect the outer world
3.	a need for intensity	vs.	a need for routine
4.	a need for myth and legend	vs.	a need for fact
5.	a need for physical activity	vs.	a need for stillness
6.	a need for separateness	vs.	a need for belonging

To help us clarify exactly what these needs are, let's think about some situations and scenarios.

• Do you like to write down your thoughts and daily happenings in a journal or diary? Or do you just sometimes like to go to your room and think about things? When you find yourself doing either one of these and taking the time to think things through, you are meeting your need to move inward.
• Do you play sports? Do you find it hard to sit still in class sometimes? Do you count the minutes until class change and P.E.? This may be your body telling you that you need some physical activity!
• Are you an organized student? Do you like things to be done in a certain order? If so, this may be your need for routine kicking in.

Now let's see what the opposite need would be like.

• Do you volunteer at a Soup Kitchen? Are you concerned about the environment? If this is you, this could be meeting your need to affect the outer world.
• When you get home from school, do you like to run up to your room and have time to yourself? Maybe you like to read a book or watch some TV. Do you find sometimes that you just like to sit for a little bit? When this happens, you are most likely meeting your need for stillness.
• Do schedules and times bother you? Do you enjoy when things happen that aren't planned? Do you like to be spontaneous? If so, you're need for intensity probably needs to be met!

Can you see how these needs balance each other out? You need to have time to think about things by yourself--but you also need to take time to make a difference in the world around you. Playing sports and moving around meets your need for physical activity, but don't forget that you need to meet your need for stillness by making time to just chill out. Sometimes, we need structure and order--that meets our need for routine. But at other times we need to break out and do something spontaneous--which balances out the need for routine.

We only talked about 6 of the needs that James developed. Can you think of ways you meet your needs to need and be needed? What about your need for separateness and belonging? Finally, how about your need for fact and your need for myth and legend?

After a while, if you pay attention to the things you do and think, you will be able to tell what need you are meeting and what you are missing. Don't worry if you can't figure it out at first--ask your friends, talk to you parents, or bring it up to your teacher in class. The more you know about yourself, the better!

The next stop on our journey will be Different Ways of Being Smart.