Chapter 5 - Adolescent Psychology

peer groups

groups of individuals of approximately the same age

Boomers

large cohort (higher competitioin, higher influence)

Gen X

small cohort (lower competition, lower influence)

postfigurative cultures

cultures in which the socialization of young people is done primarily by adults (many societies until fairly recently)

configurative cultures

cultures in which young people are socialized by adults and by each other (we have shifted here over the past 100 years)

Prefigurative cultures

cultures in which society is changing so quickly that adults are frequently socialized by young people

minicultures

clothing, behavior, interests

biological, cognitive, and social changes

Why do peer groups change? (what are 3 specific changes)

biological changes

puberty leads to increasing interest in romantic relationships and distance from parents

cognitive changes

more sophisicated understanding of social relationships and abstract categorization

Social changes

high schools are larger, more anonymous, and less influenced by adults-forces adolescents to independently seek out friends and create groups

Cliques

• small groups of between 2-12 (average 5-6)

• defined by common activities (athletics, academic achievement, music) or friendship

• Main social contect in which teens interact

• some more closed than others

crowds

• large, loosely organizaed groups of young people, a composed of several cliques and typically organized around a common shared activity

• often labeled

• more reputation/stereotype-based than actual friendship

• common around the world

• to locate adolescents within social structure of school

• to channel teens towards some peers and away from others

• to provide contexts that reward some lifestyles and disparage others

what are the 3 main purpose of crowds?

• cliques: where teens learn social skills, how to be a good friend, communication, being a leader, how to break off friendship that no longer serves

• Crowds: more about sense of identity than social development

difference between cliques and crowds

• early adolescence: socializing and acitivities often with same gender

  • teens begin to be interested in another romantically

  • start handing out in mixed-gender groups

  • sometimes the shft toward mixed-gender interaction will be led by popular members of cliques

• Late adolescence: groups are almost all mixed gender

  • move towards mixed groups → increase in alcohol and drug use

• Late adolescence: importance of peer groups starts to wane

  • more confidence and security, social skills

  • more couples form

explain the changes in clique and crowd structure over time → reomantic relationships

• how involved they are in institutions controlled by adults (extracurriculars)

• how involved informal, peer culture

How can crowds be mapped along what 2 dimensions?

reference groups

a group against which an individual compares themselves

age segregation

teens tend to have friends within one year older/younger

gender segregation

• cliques form based on shared interests

• gender roles: teens concerned with acting in “appropriate” ways, which segregates groups

ethnic segregation

ethnicity not a strong determinate of clique composition during childhood; increases in teens

delinquency

criminal activity

antisocial

contrary to the laws/rules/customs of society

gangs

antisocial peer groups that can be identified by the name and common symbols

latrogenic

undesirable consequnces of well-intentioned treatments

selection

attracted because of intial similarity

socialization

friends influence other

sociometric popularity

how well-liked someone is

perceived popularity

how much status/prestige someone has

• athletically and academically competent, friendly, neither shy nor aggressive

• extremely aggressive, athletic, average or below friendliness/academic, not shy

what are the 2 distinct types of popular boys?

• prosocial, good students

• antisocial, anti-academic, bullies

what are the 2 distinct of popular girls

proactive aggressive

aggression used strategically and selectively

reactive aggression

aggression that is unplanned and frequent

aggression

what leads to more popularity?

• teens who have trouble controlling aggression

• withdrawn teens (shy, anxious, inhibited), esp boys

• aggressive and withdrawn teens

what are the 3 distinct types of disliked teens?

relational aggression

acts intended to harm another through the manipulation of their relationships with others (e.g. malicious gossip)

• rejection and friendlessness associated with depression, behavior problems, alcohol use, interpersonal difficulties, academic difficulties

• rejected ones are in risk of:

  • conduct problems

  • involvement in antisocial activity

• Withdrawn teens who are rejected are at risk of:

  • lonelineses

  • low self-esteem

  • depression

  • diminished social competence

  • later emotional problems

what are the consequences of peer rejection?

hostile attributional bias

the tendency to interpret ambiguous interactions with others as deliberately hostile

because it is repetitive and there is a power imbalance between bully and victim

why is “bullying'“ different from other forms of aggression

passive, aggressive, support-seeking, mixed

what are 4 main ways to identify bullying?

passive

ignoring the bully or walking away

aggressive

fighting back, physically or verbally

support-seeking

telling a parent/teacher

mixed

doing a little of everything