Influence Of Peer Culture On The Social Interaction Of High Schools Students

Temporality of the theories of adolescent depict elusive culture as it shows adolescent culture is “contested, temporal and emergent” (Yon, 2000b, 144). The elusive culture of adolescence is “emergent and continually in the making rather than…foreclosed” (Yon, 2000a, 123).

One way that my family helped to socialize me to my culture’s norms and values was by making me hang out with other kids. Both my parents urged me to interact with others so that I could learn different things. I learned that everybody has a different view on culture and that opinions can differ.

To better understand the role of peer groups on adolescent behavior, we must first examine its origin in contemporary society. Industrialization in the

Musatti, T. (1986). Early peer relations: The perspectives of Piaget and Vygotsky. In E. C. Mueller & C. R. Cooper (Eds.), Process and outcome in peer relationships (pp. 25-53). Orlando, FL: Academic

The peer society was especially noticeable on college campuses around the United States. On campuses, students made connections beyond the classroom. They shaped a youth culture shaped which consisted of their own slang, flapper fashion, fads, and music. Students were away from their home and community, so peers replaced family roles. Colleges and universities begin to defined the youth society. Students became consumers and mass production enabled conformity in fashion. Campus newspaper kept the youth informed on the latest trends and activities. College students were not directly supervised and enjoyed their leisure time by dancing, attending the movies, and dating. Students set morals in peer society and determined the proper way to behaviors.

Adolescents started to not only disobey their parents but “against all noble sentiments” (Martin, Segrave 220) and throw down the social environment their parents raised them. “They were not trusted by

More than ever in this society as children find the need to belong or fit in to the popular crowd in school for acceptance they often tend to mimic their friends behaviors. This is often a result of the individual child trying to find him or herself. The results however, are not always negative. In fact, there are some positive results that may occur as a result of copying their peers. Simply stated, “When teens surround themselves with people who make good decisions and who are involved with positive activities and choices, it makes the adolescent child want to be better” (Stock, 2010 pg.2). Positive peers influence adolescents and can drive the child toward improved confidence, and improved grades in school. Inversely, the same can be said for the adolescent child who decides that he or she wants to be like his or her friends who have a negative influence. Children who fall into this category are those that are of the bandwagon philosophy. Those negatively impacted by peers often show signs of lower grades in school, increased distance from family. In fact, “peer pressure can lead to experimentation with drugs and alcohol, and various high risks behaviors” (Fact Sheets, 2009 pg.1). The changes in the adolescent child can have lasting effects depending on which type of peer influences that child may be surrounded by. The negative impact of peer pressure can be strong; however there are also positive influences.

Adolescents, a time of transition from child to adulthood (Jackie, Psych 220, 2012). It gives us the sense of what creates the self and our roles in society by building social groups and relationships with our peers (Jackie, 2012). It is a time in stage where we ask ourselves questions of what characteristics, values, and norms help understand the self (Jackie, 2012). The identity is built around our interactions with clique’s (Saeta, Soc.

In modern societies like ours comes’ unrealistic normality, for example, everyone is expected to conform to the same set of rules. This causes adolescents to form groups because they provide individuals with an identity in the eyes of their peers. The peers that they surround themselves with are usually similar in age, race, social class, and sex. In schools with mixed ethnic groups, crowds tend to form based first on ethnicity, and then on other attributes such as participation in athletics, use of drugs, and having a focus on academics. Their attitude with school- importance of grades and partaking in school activities; teen culture- music, how they dress, activities, drug use; and involvement with antisocial events- criminal activity and aggressiveness, more than often resemble that of the majority of the group. Adolescents become friends both because of prior similarities and because they become like each other the more they interact (selection and socialization). Teenagers just find people who are like them. This normality could be considered good or bad. “For example, alcohol users ‘find each other’ and influence each other to drink. Likewise, depressed teens tend to associate with others who have depressive tendencies, and their depression is collectively worsened.” (2nd) But this isn’t always true; because of the gap in today’s society, teenagers learn coping

Vered Amit – Talai indulges her readers with a commonly accepted phenomenon of Western civilization in which adolescents rarely transition into adulthood with their childhood friends through the experiences of a group of high school students in The Waltz of Sociability: Intimacy, Dislocation, and Friendship in a Quebec High School. It is assumed that peer relationships developed during adolescence are of considerable importance but only temporary. The social and cultural ramifications of this assumption are a recurring

1. Chapter 8 “Middle Childhood: The Social World,” section “The Peer Group,” highlights the social factors among middle aged children, how they are aware of reality and conscious of others’ opinions, judgments, and accomplishments (Berger, 300). This chapter explains the culture of children, similar to actual ethical cultures, there are games, nursery rhymes, jokes, insults, and superstitions that are part of the peer society; in which the older children pass down these customs to the younger ones. This is one of the ways that communication between different age groups are formed, other ways are having actual conversations. Moreover, children will dress in ways that is accepted by their peers and have the sense of belonging to a group of friends;

Because of their cultural and racial differences, teenagers are discriminated against by the society. As a result, these young people resort in doing things that are detrimental to their social well-beings (Yang, 2007).

In study after study, peer pressure is associated in adolescents of all ethnic and racial backgrounds with at-risk behaviors such as cigarette smoking, truancy, drug use, sexual activity, fighting, shoplifting, and daredevil stunts. Again, peer group values and attitudes influence more strongly than do family values the level of teenage alcohol use. The more accepting peers are of risky behavior, and the more they participate in that behavior, the more likely a person is to do the same thing.

Peer pressure in society today has a negative effect on teens and schools should implement programs to help teens battle with peer pressure. Nowadays Peer pressure is a major problem in the lives of teens. These problems not only occur in school, but also outside of schools. If schools decide to implement programs teaching teenagers how to successfully battle peer pressure, a lot of decision-making for teens would be different. Not only in educational programs but in their everyday lives as well.

Social interaction is a complex area of study because of how multifaceted it is. Social stability starts at an early age when the child or adolescent learns how to develop trust, take initiative, and achieve a sense of identity. Erick Erickson is a great example of showing the importance of completing the psychosocial stages of development (Erikson 1994). One can glean how crucial these psychosocial stages are and the support needed around the developing child to meet these checkpoints in their life. Children are incredibly malleable; however, instilling a negative light toward social interaction can affect how they manage their later years. Being aware of the crucial beginning steps of social interaction can set the stage on how one will be throughout their adulthood.