Adolescence and Peer Influence

Adolescence is identified as a stage when an private undergoes a butt on of growing up in order to become an adult. It involves a military operation when teens experience changes that materialize physically and emotionally. Likewise, the whole process could become confusing and uncomfortable for the individual who is at the said phase (de Guzman, 2007). It is recollectd that mevery of the offspringer nation who atomic number 18 moving towards the process of adolescence argon inflateing their ranges in the mixer life. Likewise, complexities of social contact in addition expand. Majority of the teenagers or boyishs argon geargond towards total independence.As such, the alliance and time of the teenager at home argon less patronage (Smetana, 1988 Steinberg & Silverberg, 1986 Noller & Callan, 1991 cited in Jackson & Rodriguez-Tome, 1995, p. 1). Adolescents become more(prenominal) consider in activities that they hypothesise represents who they really argon. Through thi s, there is an increase in the awareness of teenagers in their social surroundings.During the time of adolescence, helpmates play a substantial role in the lives of young volume. Peers become the focus of the teenagers lifestyle and most of the activities that they carry pop are seeed by the com allys that they capture (Berndt, 1989 Hartup, 1983 cited in Jackson & Rodriguez-Tome, 1995).It was nonice that teenagers begin to build friendships that are intimate in nature, aroundtime undivided which often becomes constant un manage the friendships that they have during their younger years. The friendship that teenagers chip in serves as an important way for them to develop beca drop for majority of adolescents, peers are lane where they could freely explore themselves.It is as well with their peers that they feel they are accepted and secure. Likewise, the peers that the y come forthhs have al meek them to exercise things that could uplift there skills which they could lat er on use for their success (de Guzman, 2007). It was in addition posted that the social activities that adolescent have could affect their decisions and interest in participating with sexual relationships (Miller & Simon, 1980 Zani, 1991 cited in Jackson & Rodriguez-Tome, 1995, p. 1).Peer acts are said to be complex in nature. Various studies were carried out in order to understand the influences of peers during the period of adolescence and it was plant out that adolescents could acquire convinced(p) and controvert influences from the peers that surrounds them. In order to further understand the changes that adolescents undergo, it is an imperative to acknowledge what peer mechanical press is and the role that the peers play in the life of young adults (de Guzman, 2007).Peer closet is identified as the pressures and influences that young adults feel from their social span (Atwater, 1988 cited in Foreman, 2001, n.p.). It should be celebrated that peers are those large nu mber that adolescents look up to for support and sometimes for approval. Peers are also considered as factors that are ineluctable and necessary during the adolescence stage. Interaction with peer themes enable adolescents to exercise behaviors that are modernistic to them and serves as a tool for them to develop there social skills which in turn could be used in future interactions (Steinberg, 1996 cited in Foreman, 2001, n.p.).Peer pressure could be present in unalike domains. While many an(prenominal) people tend to believe that peer influences are the reasons wherefore teenagers select in behaviors that are unhealthy and unsafe, there are many cases when peers influence teens to soak up in activities that are compulsory.According to studies regarding peer pressure, it was reported that many teens are pressured by their friends to engage in activities that are productive. Positive pressures from friends tend to motivate teenagers to engage in activities where they could excel such as athletics, music, community services, various adulterous activities and other efficient endeavors.In fact, many of the teens claimed that the pressures they get from friends are more positive rather than engaging in the tradition of drugs and sexual conducts. It was also back up by many parents that influence from peers posted a positive yield in the school per instituteances of teenagers. Likewise, peers also augment the strengthening of family values. As such, this is a perspective of peer influence that drives adolescents to become well rounded persons and expand their domains in a positive manner (de Guzman, 2007).According to researches, influences from peers are a process where the teens are active recipients. The teens become friends with their peers because of the fact that they already have a lot of things in commonalty which means that peers who enjoy doing things that are alike(p) with their interest tend to gravitate towards each other (de Guzman, 200 7). Although there are many instances where diversity could be seen among certain meetings, researches also indicate that teenagers are more likely to group themselves according to their similarities.Likewise, it was suggested that teenagers tend to reject people who are different from themselves. These differences could range from physical impairments, or different sets of educational motivation and interests. Nonetheless, the similarities among individuals appear to be an important factor during the socialization process because it serves as a continuative for the young adult to arrive at a bond with other people.Due to this, it is believed that teenagers who are not able to have a positive connection with other young adults during the time of adolescence could be at great essay of involving themselves with negative influences from different peer groups. It was perceived that adolescents who hand out to establish positive bonds with their contemporaries become more distant an d different which make them feel that they are not welcome.In this eventidet, young individuals who received low standards of acceptance are more likely to engage themselves with peer groups who percentage the equal issue. Thus, it is easier to join peer groups that have less positive perspectives. In a greater sense, such groups are often contemplated as those who engage in activities that are anti-social and self-destructive (Pledge, 2003).The point has been made that peer influences could be positive despite of the negative connotations attached to this process of socialization. However, it should be noted that save like positive influences, peers could also brought about negative influences that could reinforce the adolescents decision of engaging in big behaviors.Risky behaviors were identified as actions that could produce outcomes that could be damaging physically, mentally and socially (Jessor, 1992 cited in Smith, 2001). Several types of risk behaviors include engageme nt in sexual activities, philia insult, cigarette gage and crime activities. Adolescent behaviors could be altered by peer group influences through verbal and non-verbal means.Verbal pressure that is done directly is the most common way of getting compliance from the young adult. For example, a certain peer group may not impose an adolescent to smoke however, the members of the group may say things like you are such a baby, just try it nothing wrong is going to happen which could insinuate the adolescent to smoke in order for him or her to look better in the eyes of his or her peers.Mean plot a non-verbal persuasion could be done by staring at the adolescent for a long time until he or she feels uncomfortable which in the end is more likely to submit in performing the behavior (Duryea, 1985 cited in Smith, 2001).Aside from verbal and non-verbal methods, peer pressure could also be seen in different forms. The pressure could take the form of challenges or dares, social acceptanc e and coercion and the influences could also vary depending on the age and gender of the adolescent (hay and Hofferth, 1987, p. 105).Sexual activitiesThere are limited researches that link peer influences in the early acquaintance with sexual activity. However, it was consistently presented that peer influence is an important factor that greatly affect the foot of sexual activities among adolescents.It was also suggested that the major source of sexual information are from same sex-peers (Libby and Carlson, 1973 Miller, 1976 Thornburg, 1978 cited in Hayes and Hofferth, 1987, p. 105). Likewise, an adolescent who believes that their samesex peers are sexually experient and the liberal approach of his or her peers regarding sex are indicators that the teenager is more likely to engage with sexual activities.Thus, it was contemplated that majority of the teenagers actually engage in activities based from the perception of his or her peers attitudes and behaviors even if it is correct or not (Newcomer et al., 1980 cited Hayes and Hofferth, 1987, p. 105). Some findings indicate that white male teenagers choose their peers in accordance to sexual activities that were carried out by the individuals within the circle while their black counterparts were neither influenced by the behavior of their friends or choose peers on such particular basis (Billy and Udry, 1983 cited Hayes and Hofferth, 105).Meanwhile, female adolescents could be persuaded to some extent based from their knowledge of what her female friends are engaging into unless it was manifested that adolescent girls are strongly influenced to practice the sexual act by their best male friends and sexual partners (Miller and Simon, 1974 Herold, 1980, Cvetkovich and Grote, 1980 Billy and Udry, 1983 cited in Hayes and Hofferth, 1987, p. 105).Moreover, it was found out that among adolescents age 10 to 14, the pressure in sexual troth could be done through challenges and dares to the extent of fondling, kissing or even intercourse. Such occurrence is prevalent among girls (Lewis and Lewis, 1984 cited in Hayes and Hofferth, 1987, p. 105) while all minor peer influences were recorded among black teenage boys and girls (Billy and Udry, 1984 cited in Hayes and Hofferth, 1987).Generally, white girls are more at risk of involving themselves with sexual activities referable to peer pressure (Hayes and Hofferth, 1987).Substance abuseAside from sexual activities, it was reliably demonstrated that peer groups also play an important role in influencing the decisions of adolescent to initiate the usage of drugs and alcohol. Likewise, it was also recorded that peers also affect the decision of the teenagers to reject, continue experimentation or augment the usage of drugs and other substances (Bauman & Ennett, 1996 Darling & Cumsille, 2003 cited in Hankin and Abela, 2005, p. 366).As adolescent marks the development shift of young individuals towards the path of maturity, it is within the same perio d that adolescents tends to increase their thing with peers and is the beginning of the experimentation stage with drunkenness and smoking (Flory, Lynam, Milich, Leukfeld & Clayton, 2004 Sutherland & Shepherd, 2001 cited in Hankin and Abela, 2005, p. 366).As such, this strongly manifest that the involvement of an adolescent with a peer group is a substantial factor that contribute to the initial experimentation of drugs and other substance use. Moreover, various theories also point out that there is a strong relation with peer influence and initiation and escalation of substance abuse.Two notable theories are the Peer cluster theory (Oetting & Beauvais, 1998 cited in Hankin and Abela, 2005, p. 366) and the Primary socialization theory (Oetting & Donnermeyer, 1998 cited in Hankin and Abela, 2005, p. 366) indicates that normative and deviant social behaviors are the results of the interaction of characteristics that are cultural, social and psychological in nature. Thus, behaviors l ike smoking, drinking and drug usage are learned from the adolescents interaction with their peers.Crime activitiesAs it was said, the formation of peer groups is an important part in the development process of a young adult. Such formation may be viewed as a way of an individual to attach themselves with people whom they think they could share who they really are. One of the peer groups prevalent right away are adolescent inner circles. Although adolescent gangs are considered as peer groups, it is contemplated as a group comprised of young individuals whose behaviors are perceived negatively by the society.As such, adolescent members of gangs tend to engage in activities that are violent and anti-social (Geldrald K. and Geldrald D., 2004, p. 36). base from researches, adolescent gangs are accounted for a large number of crimes in the urban setting. Many adolescent tend to engage themselves with this type of peer groups because they believe that this is an avenue for them to be accepted and freely express themselves.Because of these reasons adolescents see gang membership as an option for them to build their identity in any way possible whether it is wrong or right without thinking of the consequences.This is when peer pressure could be viewed as extremely powerful because adolescents who are members of gangs are more likely to engage themselves with risk like poor reputation, death, delinquency, substance abuse, infliction of transmitted diseases and early parenthood (Snyder, 2001).According to researches the very reason why many adolescents are vulnerable from the negative influences from their peers is because of the feeling of the lack to give out in a particular group. Such needs lead many adolescents to take part in activities that could put them at risk. For majority of adolescents the need to belong to a particular peer group is an achievement of self-actualization and an increase of the so called maturity and establishment of identity (Benthin, Slovic & Severson, 1993 cited in Smith, 2001).ConclusionBased from the facts that were presented in the study, it is manifest that peers play a significant role in the lives of adolescents. Peer groups admit teenagers the feeling of belongingness and security. The influences of peers among adolescent could bring about positive end results which are actually important for the development of young individuals. Such positive influences from peers create a ground for adolescents to become well rounded people.Nonetheless, peer could also encourage negative influences among adolescents. The negative influences of peers may take the form of risky behaviors such as engagement in sexual activities, substance abuse and crime activities. It is also important to note that adolescents who are vulnerable to the negative influences of peer groups are those individuals that are not able to form connection with positive peer groups.Therefore, it is suggested that young individuals who encounter f ailures with forming bonds with peer groups should be interpreted into consideration in order to know the factors that affect their social involvement with other individuals. Moreover, it is also suggested that further analysis regarding the impact of peer influences should be investigated in order to further understand some of the points that were not presented in the study.