Chapter Five: Peer Groups

1. Chapter Five: Peer Groups FSHD 377/

2. Objectives Identify the factors that have contributed to the rise of adolescent peer groups in modern America. Describe the role that the peer group plays in contemporary America versus less industrialized societies. Discuss whether the role played by peer groups in the socialization of young people is a cause for concern or celebration.

3. Objectives Describe how peer groups change during development from childhood to adolescence. Discuss the structure of and functioning of adolescents� peer groups. Describe the factors that attract adolescents to one another.

4. Objectives Identify the characteristics that are associated with popularity in adolescence and how unpopular children can be helped toward better social adjustment.

5. The Origins of Adolescent Peer Groups in Contemporary Society Teens spend more time in the company of their peers than their counterparts did in the past. For example, high school students spend twice as much time each week with peers as with parents or other adults.

6. The Origins of Adolescent Peer Groups in Contemporary Society Factors that have contributed to the rise of adolescent peer groups: changes in schools changes in the workplace changes in population

7. The Origins of Adolescent Peer Groups in Contemporary Society Changes in Schools: development of age-graded educational institutions adolescent peer groups based on friendships did not become prevalent until the second quarter of the 20th century

8. The Origins of Adolescent Peer Groups in Contemporary Society Changes in the Workplace: more stringent child labor laws

9. The Origins of Adolescent Peer Groups in Contemporary Society Changes in Population: Baby boom after World War II rapid growth in teenage population over a decade later percentage of US population comprising 15- to 19-year-olds reached highest levels in 1975

10. The Origins of Adolescent Peer Groups in Contemporary Society Changes in Population: percentage began to increase again in 1990 by 2000, approximately 1 in 7 individuals in this country were adolescents

11. The Adolescent Peer Group:A Problem or a Necessity? Debate: Separate culture from adults or Adaptation to socialization by age

12. The Adolescent Peer Group:A Problem or a Necessity? Separate Culture from Adults: Teenagers are separated from adult society to such an extent that they have established their own society that undermines parents� efforts to encourage academic excellence and instead emphasizes sports, dating, and partying.

13. The Adolescent Peer Group:A Problem or a Necessity? Adaptation to Socialization by Age: Industrialization and modernization have made peer groups more important.

14. The Adolescent Peer Group:Separate Culture from Adults Academic achievement valued more by parents than adolescents during early adolescence young people are more oriented toward their peers during mid to late adolescence adolescents� orientation toward their peers is on the decline

15. The Adolescent Peer Group:Separate Culture from Adults Peer pressure most teenagers feel that their friends are likely to pressure them not to use drugs or engage in sexual activity peer pressure does appear to exist in the area of alcohol consumption

16. The Adolescent Peer Group:Separate Culture from Adults Thus adolescents exert both positive and negative influences on each other It is incorrect to describe the peer group as a monolithic, negative influence

17. The Adolescent Peer Group:Adaptation to Socialization by Age Modernization: contemporary society�s norms are universalistic grouping individuals together by age is thus a more efficient socialization strategy

18. The Adolescent Peer Group:Adaptation to Socialization by Age Cofigurative society: socialization is accomplished through contact both with adults and people of the same age some believe our society may eventually be replaced by a more prefigurative culture, where adolescents become adults� teachers

19. The Adolescent Peer Group:Adaptation to Socialization by Age Socialization: Postfigurative - by elders Cofigurative - by adults and peers Prefigurative - adolescents socialize adults

20. The Adolescent Peer Group:Adaptation to Socialization by Age Changes in patterns of work and family life have resulted in a large number of young people who are not supervised by their parents after school.

21. The Adolescent Peer Group:Adaptation to Socialization by Age Self-care after school probably does not hold great benefits for youngsters

22. The Nature of Adolescent Peer Groups:Four Specific Developments Structure of peer groups changes as individuals move into adolescence: An increase in the amount of time individuals spend in the exclusive company of their peers nearly half the people adolescents mention as significant others in their lives are people of the same age

23. The Nature of Adolescent Peer Groups:Four Specific Developments Structure of peer groups changes as individuals move into adolescence: Peer groups function outside adult supervision more during adolescence teenagers are granted far more independence

24. The Nature of Adolescent Peer Groups:Four Specific Developments Structure of peer groups changes as individuals move into adolescence: During adolescence increasingly more time is spent with opposite sex peers groups are highly sex-segregated: sex cleavage

25. The Nature of Adolescent Peer Groups:Four Specific Developments Structure of peer groups changes as individuals move into adolescence: An increase in the amount of time individuals spend in the exclusive company of their peers not until early adolescence can individuals confidently list the different crowds that characterize their schools and reliably describe the stereotypes that distinguish these different crowds

26. The Nature of Adolescent Peer Groups These transformations are linked to the biological, cognitive, and social transitions and definitional changes of adolescence.

27. The Nature of Adolescent Peer Groups Biological - puberty stimulates interest in opposite sex and distances teens from parents

28. The Nature of Adolescent Peer Groups Cognitive - cognitive changes support a more sophisticated understanding of social relationships, allowing abstract categorization into crowds

29. The Nature of Adolescent Peer Groups Social - larger, more anonymous settings in schools may force adolescents to seek those with common interests and values

30. Cliques and Crowds Researchers studying the social groupings of adolescents distinguish between cliques and crowds. Cliques - small groups of adolescents who are friends and who see each other regularly Crowds - large, vaguely defined groups that are based on reputation.

31. Cliques and Crowds Observational studies using participant observation indicate changes in the structure of cliques and crowds over the course of adolescence: Cliques, which begin as same-sex groups of individuals, gradually merge to form larger, mixed-sex groups, as adolescents begin dating and socializing with peers of the opposite sex

32. Cliques and Crowds Observational studies using participant observation indicate changes in the structure of cliques and crowds over the course of adolescence: In late adolescence, these groups begin to break down, as adolescents� social ties start to revolve more around couple-based activities

33. Cliques and Crowds Observational studies using participant observation indicate changes in the structure of cliques and crowds over the course of adolescence: Crowds, which peak in importance during the mid-adolescent years, become more differentiated and more permeable during high school, and their influence becomes less salient

34. Adolescents and Their Crowds Crowds are large, vaguely defined groups that are based on reputation. Similar crowd structures at most schools, with some version of �jocks,� �populars,� �brains,� �nerds,� and �toughs.�

35. Adolescents and Their Crowds Serve three purposes: locate adolescents channel adolescents provide contexts for reward and disparagement

36. Adolescents and Their Crowds Crowds can be mapped on two distinct dimensions:

37. Adolescents and Their Crowds Because they often serve as reference groups, crowds play an important role in adolescents� identity development. Crowds appear to increase in importance during early adolescence and decrease in importance during late adolescence.

38. Adolescents and Their Cliques Cliques play an important role in the development of social skills and intimacy. members influence each other�s behavior and values adolescents select their friends to begin with on the basis of similarity

39. Adolescents and Their Cliques Typically, cliques composed of: same age same race same social class during early and middle adolescence, same sex

40. Adolescents and Their Cliques Determining adolescent clique membership and friendship patterns: orientation toward school orientation toward teen culture involvement in antisocial activities

41. Adolescents and Their Cliques Research has begun to explore how peers are attracted to one another; both selection and socialization are at work.

42. Adolescents and Their Cliques Although an adolescent�s closest friends are almost always of the same clique, some of them may belong to a different crowd, especially when one crowd is close in lifestyle to another.

43. Changes in Structure ofCliques and Crowds

44. Cliques and Crowds: Summary Clique: based on activity and friendship where an adolescent learns social skills Crowd: based on reputation and stereotype, NOT interaction where they contribute to identity and self-conception

45. Cliques and Crowds: Summary Peer group changes are in keeping with adolescents changing needs and interests: Clique/close relationships - peers of same sex to intimate opposite sex relationships Crowd/cognitive growth - move from specific behavioral characteristics to abstract, global characteristics (more permeable and less influential during high school)

46. Popularity and Rejection inAdolescent Peer Groups Determinants of popularity during adolescence are different than the determinants of status or leadership: outgoing friendly socially-adept

47. Popularity and Rejection inAdolescent Peer Groups Unpopular adolescents tend to be: aggressive adolescents withdrawn adolescents aggessive-withdrawn adolescents

48. Popularity and Rejection inAdolescent Peer Groups Unpopular, aggressive adolescents are more likely than their peers to think that other adolescent�s behavior is deliberately hostile (attributional bias) Adolescents who are rejected by their peers are at a risk for a wide variety of psychological and behavioral problems

49. Popularity and Rejection inAdolescent Peer Groups Numerous interventions have been designed to improve adolescents� social competence including those that focus on improving unpopular adolescents� social skills and social understanding.

50. The Peer Group andPsychosocial Development The peer group provides an arena for identity exploration, development, and expression of autonomy, socialization of appropriate sexual behavior, and influence on academic achievement.

51. The Peer Group andPsychosocial Development Individuals who are unpopular or who have poor peer relationships during adolescence are more likely to: be low achievers in school drop out of high school have learning disabilities show higher rates of delinquent behavior