1. Adolescent Psychology
Chapter 9: Peer & Romantic Relationships
Adolescent Psychology

2. Chapter Overview Peer Relationships Groups Gender & Culture
Dating & Romantic Relationship
Emerging Adult Lifestyles

3. Peer Relations Peers: individuals of same age or maturity level
Peer Group Functions
source of info about the world outside the family
receive feedback about their abilities
A source of social comparison
Changes
Peer time – twice as much time with peers than parents

4. Peer Relations Essential for healthy social development Positive
Symmetrical reciprocity of relationships
Principles of fairness & justice
Intimacy skills
Negative
Rejection & neglect…
“corrupt influence”…

5. Peers: Corrupt Influence?
Are peer relationships a corrupt influence?
Rejection & neglect by peers are related to an individual’s subsequent mental health & criminal problems (Bukowski, Brendgen, & Vitaro, 2007).
Time spent hanging out with antisocial peers in adolescence was a stronger predictor of substance abuse than time spent with parents (Nation & Heflinger, 2006).
Deviant peer affiliation was related to adolescents’ depressive symptoms (Connell & Dishion, 2006).

6. Family-Peer Linkages Parents -- authority over adolescents’ choices?
Strong motivation to be with their peers & become independent
How can parents influence adolescent choice?
Parents’ choices of neighborhoods, churches, schools, & their own friends influence adolescent friend selection(Cooper & Ayers-Lopez, 1985).
Parents can model or coach their adolescents in ways of relating to peers.
Secure parental attachment -- related to the adolescent’s positive peer relations (Allen & others, 2003; Collins & van Dulmen, 2006).

7. Peer Conformity
Conformity: occurs when individual adopt the attitudes or bx of others because of real or imagined pressure from them
Can be positive or negative
Stealing, cursing, bullying…
Desire to be involved in peer world
Prosocial behaviors
Peer pressure: a pervasive theme of adolescents’ lives.
Developmental changes in adolescence often bring about a sense of insecurity.

8. Developmental Changes in Peer Conformity

9. Peer Status
Sociometric status: extent to which peers are liked or disliked by their peer group
Popular
Average
Neglected
Rejected
controversial

10. Peer Statuses Popular Rejected Controversial Neglected
Frequently nominated as best friend
Infrequently nominated as best friend
Popular
Rejected
Controversial
Neglected
Rarely disliked by peers
Actively disliked by peers
Popular children: rarely disliked, frequently nominated as best friend
Neglected children: disliked, infrequently nominated as best friend
Average children: receive and average number of both positive and negative nominations from their peers
Rejected children: disliked, rarely nominated as best friend
Controversial children: disliked, frequently nominated as best friend

11. Social Cogntion & Emotional Competence
Social cognition
Children move into adolescence & acquire more social knowledge.
Adolescents vary in what they know about what it takes to make friends.
Social cognitive perspective: adolescents may have difficulty in peer relations because they lack appropriate social cognitive skills (Dodge, Coie, & Lynam, 2006).
Emotional competence
Moody & emotionally negative -- greater rejection by peers.
Emotionally positive -- more popular (Saarni & others, 2006).

12. How to Improve Social Competence
Conglomerate strategies (coaching): combination of techniques to improve adolescents’ social skills.
Modeling of appropriate social skills
Discussion
Reasoning
Reinforcement

13. Friendship
Friends: subset of peers; mutual companionship, support, & intimacy.
Relationships with friends are much closer & more involved
Do all adolescents have close friends?
Importance of Friendship
Companionship, stimulation, physical support, ego support, social comparison, intimacy & affection
Quality: Smooth vs. conflict
Friend’s character, interests & attitudes

14. Sullivan: Changes in Friendship
In Early Adolescence
Dramatic increase in the psychological importance & intimacy of close friends during early adolescence
New mode of relating to others
Close relationship competencies
self disclosure
Giving support
Managing disagreements
Friends play important roles in shaping children’s & adolescents’ well-being/development.
Fail to forge such close friendships -- experience feelings of loneliness & reduced sense of self-worth.

15. Friendships Emerging Adulthood Intimacy Similarity
Close relationships more integrated & similar
Number of friendships decline
Intimacy
Similarity
Friends are generally similar.
Similar attitudes toward school, educational aspirations, & achievement orientations
Same music, same style of clothes, & prefer the same leisure activities (Berndt, 1982)

16. Loneliness Loneliness can be chronic
impaired physical & mental health (Cacioppo & Hawkley, 2003).
Loneliness or desire for solitude?
1st year of college -- loneliness
Reducing Loneliness
Participate in activities that you can do with others
Engage in positive behaviors when you meet new people.
See a counselor or read a book on loneliness.

17. Adolescent Groups Formal & Informal Norms: rules for all
Roles: group positions
Group Function:
Personal needs
Rewards them
Provides information
Raises self-esteem
Gives them an identity
Satisfy need for affiliation & companionship

18. Childhood and Adolescent Groups
Childhood groups differ from adolescent groups
Childhood groups often are friends or neighborhood acquaintances
groups usually are not as formalized as adolescent groups
Adolescent groups
Tend to include a broader array of members
other than friends or neighborhood acquaintances
Opposite sex participation – mixed sex groups
Large crowd activities (mingling of groups)
Tends to decline after late adolescence

19. Adolescent Groups: Cliques & Crowds
Cliques: small groups; range from individuals; average 5 – 6 individuals
Usually of the same sex & are similar in age.
Engage in similar activities
What do adolescents do in cliques?
Share ideas, spend time
Develop “in-group” identity
Crowds: larger group structure than cliques.
Crowds are less personal than cliques
Defined by the activities adolescents engage in
“jocks, populars, normals, druggies/toughs, nobodies”

20. Adolescent Groups: Youth Organizations
400+ national youth organizations currently in the U.S. (Erickson, 1996)
Junior Achievement; Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts
Political: Young Republicans & Young Democrats
Ethnic groups: Indian Youth of America
More likely to participate in community activities in adulthood.
Have higher self-esteem
Are better educated
Come from families with higher incomes (Erickson, 1982).
Practice interpersonal & organizational skills important for success in adult roles

21. Youth Organizations Why not? Adolescents: Parents:
Lack of interest in available activities
Lack of transportation
Lack of awareness about what is available
Parents:
transportation
costs