Chapter 8: Friends & Peers Samuel R. Mathews, Ph.D. Dept of Psychology University of West Florida

Friends & Peers What’s the difference? – Friends? – Peers?

Friends & Peers The course of friendship& peer relations across adolescence: – Increase in time with peers relative to family – Peer groups become more diverse and differentiated – Closer friendships are formed – Hierarchies of social groups are established

Friends & Peers Families and friends: – Children look to families for emotional support – Adolescents look to closer friends for emotional support Sources of support: – Adolescents look to parents for conversations about school and career – They look to peers for other key topics (romance, interpersonal problems)

Friends & Peers Patterns of change: – Late childhood  Parents – Early adolescence  Same sex friend/parents – Middle adolescence  Same sex friend> parents – Emerging adulthood  Romantic partner> parents

Friends & Peers Parent—Adolescent Relationships – Secure attachment with parents related to secure friendships – Indirect influence of parents on adolescents’ friends and peer group: Location of residence School chosen for attendance – Authoritative parenting style positively related to higher quality peer relationships

Friends & Peers Friendships sustain adolescents’ emotional lives – Seek out friends who share emotional orientation – Moods tend to be more positive with friends – Friends are more open to sharing emotional states – Moods tend to be more positive over weekends (duh?) What would trigger negative emotional state with friends?

Friends & Peers Traditional culture, family, & friends – Narrow socialization—less access to peers – Gender-based differences: Females tend to stay closer to mothers and women of mother’s age Females have little or no access to male peers Males have greater access to same-sex peers – Overall, greater reliance on family What function does limited access to peers serve in traditional cultures?

Friends & Peers Adolescents’ friendships differ from those in childhood by the presence of intimacy – Shared disclosure of personal themes – Shared vulnerabilities – Based on perspective taking & self reflection – Seek to see the other’s motives, ideas, and perspectives – Generally, females use disclosure and males use activities to support emotional closeness

Friends & Peers Intimacy (cont’d) Narrow socialization for females and broader socialization for males likely responsible for gender differences What might disrupt an intimate friendship?

Choosing Friends Friendships based on: – Shared preferences – Shared motivations and interests – Level of tolerance for risk behavior How has the internet changed the patterns of friendships?

Friendship Influence & Peer Pressure Friends’ influence greater than peers’ Influence protective & risk behaviors Estimates of friends’ and peers’ influence likely exaggerated: – Self reports tend to be overestimates – Adolescents likely associate with others like themselves (selective association)

Friendship Influence & Peer Pressure Some evidence of elevated risk behaviors in presence of peers & friends – Gardner & Steinberg (2005) Experimentally tested whether having peers present would increase the level of risk behavior for adolescents and adults Adolescents with peers present were more likely to take risks than adults Risky decision making and risky behavior decreased with age ( 13 years-37+) – Presence of peers does impact decision-making How have we used this in our state?

Friendship Influence: Nurturance and Support Informational Support—advice, etc. Instrumental support—assist with tasks and activities Companionship—proximal presence Esteem Building—celebration and encouragement Positive support  better psychological adjustment

Friendship Influence: Nurturance and Support Emerging Adulthood – Greater and more intense affiliation with friends than earlier and later – Tend to be clustered around shared interests How might social networking sites impact friends’ influence, nurturance and support for emerging adults?

Cliques & Crowds Cliques--typically same sex and age; spend available time together; often will schedule same classes; not all (>half) kids belong to cliques; Liaisons--individuals who, while not belonging to particular cliques, often link cliques by having friends in several cliques Isolates--few friends; not obviously connected to the larger peer community; Crowd--larger peer community; multiple cliques; "If clique activities are coaching sessions, crowd events are the game itself."

Cliques & Crowds Roles of cliques and crowds change with maturity – Crowds typically function best for the early and mid adolescents; – Emerging adults who typically are beyond the need for these groups as mirrors of self.

Cliques & Crowds What are friends for if not to “dis?” – Sarcasm and ridicule Establish dominance hierarchy Boundaries for ingroup/outgroup designation Establish standards for clique membership

Cliques & Crowds Relational Aggression – Relationship & Reputation Sabotage – Substitute for physical aggression – Targets tend to manifest: Isolation Depressive behaviors Suicidal ideation and attempts – More prevalent among females than males

Developmental Changes in Crowds Increased differentiation of crowds within a school population Increased influence through middle adolescence – Unclear whether kids change as a result of crowd influence or whether kids select crowds that match themselves

Developmental Changes in Crowds Perceptions of characteristics of crowds serve as stereotypes (all emos are suicidal) Minority crowds as diverse as majority crowds but majority individuals typically do not see the diversity Crowds within traditional cultures tend to be less age graded with fewer divisions – Rural Kyrgyz village: Fan Club as local crowd

Popularity/Unpopularity: Peer Status Groups Two factors: Social Preference & Social Impact – Social Preference positively related to cooperation, support, attractiveness negatively related to disruption and aggression – Social Impact Active and salient behaviors whether positive or negative – Rated high to low on each dimension

Popularity/Unpopularity: Peer Status Groups Peer status groups: – Popular—high preference & high impact – Average/amiable—positive preference, mid-level impact – Rejected—low preference & high impact – Neglected—low preference & low impact – Controversial—rejected (disruptive, aggressive) & popular (social leaders)

Bullying Characteristics of Bullies – Aggressive – Pattern of aggressive behavior across time – Power imbalance between bully and victim Peaks in early adolescence Impact on victims – Isolation – Somatic problems Cyberbullying—likely relational aggression

Youth Culture Defined by what sets the youth apart from children and adults Defined by markers – Image – Demeanor – Argot Socializing influences – Broader or narrower socializing forces – Pluralistic society – Participation varies across subcultures

Based on the peer status group, which of the group or groups would have belonged to in early adolescence (13-15years)? How would you define your peer status now? What do you think has caused any change or maintained the status quo?