Adolescence - Chapter 5: Peer Groups

Vocabulary flashcards covering core definitions, concepts, and peer group structures from Chapter 5: Peer Groups in Adolescence.

Peer groups

Groups of individuals of approximately the same age.

Age grading

The process of grouping individuals within social institutions on the basis of age.

Baby boom

The period following World War II, during which the number of infants born was extremely large.

Postfigurative cultures

Cultures in which the socialization of young people is done primarily by adults.

Configurative cultures

Cultures in which young people are socialized both by adults and by each other.

Prefigurative cultures

Cultures in which society is changing so quickly that adults are frequently socialized by young people, rather than the reverse.

Crowds

Large, loosely organized groups of young people, composed of several cliques and typically organized around a common shared activity or reputation.

Cliques

Small, tightly knit groups of between 2 and 12 friends, generally of the same sex and age.

Homophily

The tendency for peer group members to hold similar characteristics.

Social Map of Adolescent Peer Groups

A two-dimensional model developed by Brown (1990) that classifies adolescent peer crowds based on their degree of involvement in adult-controlled institutions and involvement in peer culture.

Reference groups

A group against which an individual compares themself.

Gangs

Organized peer groups of antisocial individuals.

Iatrogenic effects

Unintended adverse consequences of a treatment or intervention.

Sociometric popularity

How well-liked an individual is by peers.

Perceived popularity

How much status or prestige an individual has within the peer group.

Proactive aggression

Aggressive behaviour that is deliberate and planned.

Reactive aggression

Aggressive behaviour that is unplanned and impulsive.

Rejected adolescents

Unpopular adolescents who have problems controlling aggression.

Neglected adolescents

Withdrawn, unpopular adolescents who are shy, anxious, and inhibited.

Controversial adolescents

Adolescents who are socially active but also aggressive.

Relational aggression

Acts intended to harm another through the manipulation of relationships with others, such as malicious gossip.

Hostile attribution bias

The tendency to interpret ambiguous interactions with others as deliberately hostile.

PATHS

Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies; an intervention program combining behavioural and cognitive abilities to improve social skills among unpopular adolescents.

Bullying

A relationship problem where young people use power and aggression to control and distress others, differentiated by its repetitive nature and an imbalance of power between bully and victim.

Cyberbullying

Bullying that occurs electronically.

Outsiders

Passive bystanders present during bullying incidents.

Reinforcers

Bystanders who encourage the bullying behaviour.

Defenders/upstanders

Bystanders who support the victim or intervene to stop the bullying.

PREVNet

Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network; a Canadian research initiative focused on bullying prevention.