Adolescent Psychology Exam 2- Chapter 5 (peer groups)

peer groups

groups of individuals at approximately the same age

age-grading

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

why are peer groups necessary in todays world?

without peer-groups, the adolescents socialization and learning will be solely family focused, which could lead them to not learn all of societal norms or roles.

—> family isnt as big of a political nor economic institution

post-figurative cultures

cultures in which the socialization of young people is done primarily by adults (traditional)

configurative cultures

cultures in which socialization of young people is done by adults and peers

prefigurative cultures

cultures in which society is changing so quickly that adults are frequently socialized by young peopler, rather than the reverse

in what ways to peer groups change?

1. reduced time spent w/ parents means more time for peers

2. peer groups function more often w/o adult supervision

3. increasing contact between males and females

4. adolescence marks that emergence of a larger collective of peers (crowds)

crowds

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

—> based on reputation and stereotype vs. actual friendship (cliques)

cliques

→-small groups of between 2-12 indivudals

—> generally of the same sex

—> same age

—> provides main social context (more closed to outsiders)

how do peer groups change w/ adolescent development?

as adolescents develop more curiosity in intimate relationships (platonic and romantic), the peer group shifts to mixed-sex groups

the social map of adolescence

—> scheme for mapping the social world of adolescence

—> y-axis is involvement in adult institutions

—> x-axis is involvement in peer culture

reference groups

adolescent crowds serve as reference groups

—> a group against which an individual compares him or herself

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

perceived popularity

how much status or prestige an individual has

proactive aggression

aggressive behavior that is deliberate and planned

reactive aggression

aggressive behavior that is unplanned and impulsive

relational aggression

acts intended to harm another through the manipulation of his or her relationships w/ others

—> ie. gossip

hostile attributional bias

the tendency to interpret ambiguous interactions with others as deliberately hostile

how does victimization affect an adolescent?

—> increases sensitivity to social cues, thus making them more susceptible to emotional/behavioral problems