UNIT 3 RELATIONSHIP – FAMILY AND

PEER GROUP
Structure
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Objectives
3.2 Adolescence Relations
3.3 Adolescence Relations with Family
3.3.1 Parenting Styles
3.3.2 Impact of Parenting Styles
3.3.3 Attachment Perspective
3.3.3.1 Parent Child Attachment in Adolescence
3.3.4 Parent Child Communication

3.4 Adolescence Relations with Peers

3.5 Peers vs. Parents
3.6 Let Us Sum Up
3.7 Unit End Questions
3.8 Suggested Readings

3.0 INTRODUCTION
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental development that occurs
between childhood and adulthood. It is usually accompanied by an increased
independence allowed by the parents or legal guardians and less supervision.
Adolescents are known as being gangly, awkward, and troublesome youngsters.
This period of life is seen as a time of “storm and stress”.
Teenagers during this period has general increase in peer focus and involvement in
peer related social sports and other extracurricular activities. The importance of
social acceptance during adolescence and friendship networks during this period
often are organised into relatively rigid cliques that differ in social status within school
and community setting.
A positive and healthy relationship between parent and their adolescent children
considered has important influence ion the development of self esteem and an overall
personality growth/development of the teenager. Adolescent youngsters who are able
to talk to their parents about issues that are important to them and get in turn
emotional support from the parents are less likely to rely on peers for advice on
important issues.
Peer relationships and friendships become more important as children grow into early
adolescence. Peer acceptance represents social status or popularity within a large
group, whereas friendships represent relationships based on mutual respect,
appreciation, and liking. Early adolescence is a time characterised by friendships that
share more common feelings and are more supportive than when children are younger.
In this unit, we will discuss the varying relations of adolescence with their parents,
31
families, and peers.
Development During
Adolescence 3.1 OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you will be able to:
 explain the relationships of adolescent youngsters with different persons in their
environment;
 analyse the relationship of a teenager with their families and how parenting
styles contribute to a healthy parent child relationship; and
 explain the relationship of an adolescent youngsters with their peers and
friends.

3.2 ADOLESCENCE RELATIONS

Adolescence as discussed in units above is a transitional stage of physical and mental
human development that occurs between childhood and adulthood.
Adolescence is usually accompanied by an increased independence allowed by the
parents or legal guardians with relatively lesser supervision. Adolescent youngster is
termed as being a gangly, awkward, and troublesome individual. This period of life
is also seen as a time of “storm and stress”. It is a time of great change on many
levels. Probably most dramatic are the biological changes associated with puberty.
These changes include dramatic shifts in the shape of the body, increase in hormones,
and changes in brain architecture. These biological shifts are directly linked to changes
in sexual interest, cognitive capacities and physical capacities. There are various
major social changes associated with the school-linked transitions and with changes
in the roles adolescents are expected to play with all those around them, the period
becomes highly stressful and full of conflicts, at times extremely joyous and at times
rather low in moods. Finally there are major psychological changes linked to increasing
social and cognitive maturity.
Very few developmental periods are characterised by so many changes at so many
different levels. With rapid transformation in all areas, comes a heightened potential
for both positive and negative outcomes.
Adolescence is also a time when individuals make many choices and engage in a
wide range of behaviours which are indicators of the roles that they will play for the
rest of their lives. For example, adolescents have to decide about the typical courses
or stream that they have to opt for in the high school, they have to decide about
which after school activities they must participate in and which peer group to join and
so on. They begin to make future educational and occupational plans with the help
of their teachers and parents as well as with their peers and try to implement these
plans through secondary school course work and out of school vocational and
volunteer activities. All these decisions are to be preferably taken by the youngster
and it shouldalso be his decision finally. However though parents and other elders
may facilitate the decision making progress, if they unnecessarily interfere or impose
their ideas on the youngster it may have disastrous consequences. A change if
brought about which is attributed to the younbgster’s own efforts and decision
making, may lead to a positive self confidence of the adolescent youngster.
Adolescence brings with it many challenges. The teenager is now required to accept
a mature personal role, be able to think logically, develop an appropriate gender role
and establish good relations with a wide range of other people with whom he/she will
32 interact in society. It is a time during which teenagers learn to think for themselves,
develop the right values and make decisions. They may display at times open Relationship – Family
and Peer Group
rebellion and animosity which is part of their growing up into an independent individual
who wants to emancipate self from dependence on parents.
Teenagers during this period have general increase in peer focus and involvement in
peer related social sports and other extracurricular activities. The importance they
attach to of these activities they do with the peers is far higher than they attach to
the academic activities and the activities the indulge in with family members.
The importance of social acceptance during adolescence and friendship networks
during this period are organised into relatively rigid cliques that differ in social status
within the school and community setting. The existence of these cliques reflects the
need of the adolescents to establish a sense of identity, a sense of belongingness to
the group are some of the ways the youngsters solve the problem of “who I am”.
Peers influence adolescence on things such as dress and clothing styles, music and
activity choices.

3.3 ADOLESCENCE RELATION WITH FAMILY

Parents and their adolescence relate and interact, on a number of different levels such
as playmates, teacher and student, healer and patient, and disciplinarian and
offender. Interaction between parents and their children are characterised by warmth,
consistently shown to have positive outcomes.
As adolescent youngster becomes physically mature they often seek more
independence and autonomy and may begin to question family rules and regulations,
norms and standards. These in turn lead to conflicts between the youngster and the
adult family members. Generally the issues are concerned with dress and appearance,
chores and dating. Despite these conflicting issues, parents and adolescents agree
more regarding core values linked to education, politics and spirituality.
As children grow up the parent-child relationship modifies so as to account for
changing physical, socio emotional and cognitive needs of both the child and the
parent. An interactional style Even though the nature of the parent-child relationship
changes with time and development, there are several static but key essentials such
as attachment and communication, to a healthy and protective relationship from
childhood through adolescence.
A relation between a parent and their adolescence is very crucial and also decides
upon the self esteem and an overall personality growth/development of the teenager.
For example, children who report having a positive relationship with their parents
tend to have higher self esteem, have more positive peer relationships, do better in
school and avoid behaviours such as substance use and delinquency.
Adolescents who are able to talk to their parents about issues that are important to
them and get emotional support as and when needed are less likely to rely on peers
for advice on important issues. They are less likely to succumb to peer pressure
which at times may take the form of being pressurized into using alcohol and drugs
as means of coping with the pressure experienced by the adolescent person.
Hence, adolescents who have and can maintain an open, positive, honest, flexible
and emotionally supportive relationship with their parents can withstand pressure
from undesirable sources. On the other hand, adolescents who have problematic
relationships and poor communication with their parents, tend to become more
dependent on their peers for advice and also for emotional support. Such behaviours 33
Development During may lead to many undesirable outcomes such as poor performance in school, poor
Adolescence
relationship, indulging in alcohol and other drugs, as well as manifesting undesirable
aggressive behaviours, such as going against the school system and school authorities
and parents.

3.3.1 Parenting Styles

Parenting is a complex activity that includes many specific behaviours that work
individually and together to influence development of children in the desired direction.
Although specific parenting behaviours, such as spanking or reading aloud, may
influence child development, looking at any specific behaviour in isolation may not
provide the correct picture of child rearing.
The construct of parenting style is used to capture normal variations in parents’
attempts to control and socialise their children. There are two important points to
be considered in this context: (i) Parenting style and (ii) Parental control. Parenting
style refers to normal variations in parenting, such as might be observed in normal
homes, Normal parenting revolves around issues of control. Although parents may
differ in how they try to control or socialise their children and the extent to which
they do so, it is assumed that the primary role of all parents is to influence, teach,
and control their children.
Parenting style captures two important elements of parenting: (i) parental responsiveness
and (ii) parental demandingness. Parental responsiveness (also referred to as parental
warmth or supportiveness) refers to the extent to which parents intentionally foster
individuality, self-regulation, and self-assertion by being attuned, supportive, and
acquiescent to children’s special needs and demands.
Parental demandingness (also referred to as behavioural control) refers to the demands
parents make on children to become integrated into the family, and they do this
through supervision, disciplinary efforts and willingness to confront the child who
disobeys.
Indulgent parents (also referred to as “permissive” or “nondirective”) are more
responsive than they are demanding. They are nontraditional and lenient, do not
require mature behaviour, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation”.
Indulgent parents may be further divided into two types: democratic parents, who,
though lenient, are more conscientious, engaged, and committed to the child, and
nondirective parents.
Authoritarian parents are highly demanding and directive, but not responsive. They
are obedience and status oriented, and expect their orders to be obeyed without
explanation. These parents provide well-ordered and structured environments with
clearly stated rules. Authoritarian parents can be divided into two types:
nonauthoritarian-directive, who are directive, but not intrusive or autocratic in their
use of power, and authoritarian-directive, who are highly intrusive.
Authoritative parents are both demanding and responsive. “They monitor and impart
clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive or
restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want
their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well
as cooperative.
Uninvolved parents are low in both responsiveness and demandingness. In extreme
cases, this parenting style might encompass both rejecting, neglecting and neglectful
34
parents, although most parents of this type fall within the normal range.
As seen above parenting styles are a typology with each style different from the Relationship – Family
and Peer Group
other.. In addition to differing on responsiveness and demandingness, the parenting
styles also differ in the extent to which they are characterised by a third dimension:
psychological control. Psychological control refers to control attempts that intrude
into the psychological and emotional development of the child through use of parenting
practices such as guilt induction, withdrawal of love, or shaming.
Both authoritarian and authoritative parents place high demands on their children and
expect their children to behave appropriately and obey parental rules. Authoritarian
parents, however, also expect their children to accept their judgments, values, and
goals without questioning. In contrast, authoritative parents are more open to give
and take with their children and make greater use of explanations. Thus, although
authoritative and authoritarian parents are equally high in behavioural control,
authoritative parents tend to be low in psychological control, while authoritarian
parents tend to be high on psychological control. .

3.3.2 The Impact of Parenting Styles

Parenting style has been found to predict child well-being in the domains of social
competence, academic performance, psychosocial development, and problem
behaviour. Authoritarian parenting styles generally lead to children who are obedient
and proficient, but they rank lower in happiness, social competence and self-esteem.
Authoritative parenting styles tend to result in children who are happy, capable and
successful. Children and adolescents whose parents are authoritative rate themselves
and are rated by objective measures as more socially and instrumentally competent
than those whose parents are nonauthoritative. That is children consider themselves
and also considered by others as socially more competent and also their behaviour
always lead to the desired goals.
Children and adolescents from authoritarian families (high in demandingness, but
low in responsiveness) tend to perform moderately well in school and be uninvolved
in problem behaviour, but they have poorer social skills, lower self-esteem, and
higher levels of depression.
Permissive parenting often results in children who rank low in happiness and self-
regulation. These children are more likely to experience problems with authority and
tend to perform poorly in school.
Uninvolved parenting styles rank lowest across all parenting styles. Children subjected
to this kind of parenting style, tend to lack self-control, have low self-esteem and are
relatively less competent than their peers. Children and adolescents whose parents
are uninvolved perform most poorly in all domains.
Children and adolescents from indulgent homes (high in responsiveness, low in
demandingness) are more likely to be involved in problem behaviour and perform
less well in school, but they have higher self-esteem, better social skills, and lower
levels of depression.
To conclude this section, it may be stated that parenting style appears to be an
important indicator of parental functioning that predicts child’s well being across
a wide spectrum of environments and across diverse communities of children. Both
parental responsiveness and parental demandingness are important components of
good parenting. Authoritative parenting, which balances clear, high parental demands
with emotional responsiveness and recognition of child autonomy, is one of the most
35
Development During consistent family predictors of competence from early childhood through adolescence.
Adolescence
In other words, parents adopting authoritative parenting style tend to show balanced
and healthy relations with their adolescence.
Self Assessment Questions
1) Define and discuss the relationship of adolescents with peers and parents .
How is it different from that of the childhood?
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2) What are the major complications in the relationship of an adolescent with his/
her family?
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3) What are the differing parenting styles?
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3.3.3 Attachment Perspective

Attachment is an emotional bond to another person. Psychologist John Bowlby was
the first attachment theorist, describing attachment as a “lasting psychological
connectedness between human beings”. Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds
formed by children with their caregivers have a tremendous impact that continues
throughout life. According to Bowlby, attachment also serves to keep the infant close
to the mother, thus improving the child’s chances of survival.
Attachment is the inclination for one individual to seek closeness with another individual
(example, parents, romantic partner, etc), to feel safe when that person, and to feel
anxious in his/her absence. From the time they are born, children begin to form an
attachment with their caregivers. Early in development, children learn what to expect
from their parents: “If I cry, I will be comforted (or I will not be comforted),” or “if
I am hungry, I will be fed (or I will not be fed),” or “if I smile, I will be smiled at.”
Based on their experiences and interactions, according to attachment theory, the
child will create a “map” (i.e., a “working model of attachment”) of what to expect
when interacting with the parent.
Attachment theory is a psychological, evolutionary, and ethological theory concerning
relationships between humans. Within attachment theory, infant behaviour associated
36 with attachment is primarily the seeking of proximity to an attachment figure in
stressful situations. Infants become attached to adults who are sensitive and responsive Relationship – Family
and Peer Group
in social interactions with them, and who remain as consistent caregivers for some
months during the period from about six months to two years of age. During the latter
part of this period, children begin to use attachment figures (familiar people) as a
secure base to explore from and return to. Parental responses lead to the development
of patterns of attachment; these, in turn, lead to internal working models which will
guide the individual’s feelings, thoughts and expectations in later relationships.
John Bowlby and his colleagues believed that children could be classified into one
of four categories of attachment based on the working models the child created
regarding his or her interaction with the parent:
(1) secure,(2) anxious-ambivalent,(3) anxious-avoidant,(4) disorganised.
Each of the four types of attachment were thought to reflect certain strategies the
child would use either to draw a caregiver closer or to dismiss or devalue the
importance of the caregiver. There is strong evidence that secure attachment with a
parental figure in childhood leads to greater emotional regulation, less personal distress,
higher levels of social support, and better overall psychological adjustment in
adolescence. Conversely, insecurely attached children (i.e., those classified as anxious-
ambivalent, anxious-avoidant, or disorganised) tend to have greater difficulty regulating
negative affect, have poorer peer relationships, and exhibit greater levels of
psychopathology.
Age, cognitive growth and continued social experience advance the development and
complexity of the internal working model. Attachment-related behaviours lose some
characteristics typical of the infant-toddler period and take on age-related tendencies.
The preschool period involves the use of negotiation and bargaining. For example,
four-year-olds are not distressed by separation if they and their care giver have
already negotiated a shared plan for the separation and reunion.
Peers become important in middle childhood and have an influence distinct from that
of parents. Ideally, these social skills become incorporated into the internal working
model to be used with other children and later with adult peers. As children move
into the school years at about six years old, most develop a goal-corrected partnership
with parents, in which each partner is willing to compromise in order to maintain a
gratifying relationship.
By middle childhood, the goal of the attachment behavioural system has changed
from proximity to the attachment figure to availability. Generally, a child is content
with longer separations, provided contact is sure to be available when the child
returns home after school etc. Attachment behaviours such as clinging and following
the mother or the care giver tend to decrease as the child grows up and makes peer
contacts and enjoys peer relations and the school hours. In fact the self reliance in
the child start increasing and by middle childhood (7-11 year), many of the regulations
that the care giver introduces are so well incorporated in the child that there is a high
degree of self regulation and this is within the secure-base contact in which caregiver
and child negotiate methods of maintaining communication and supervision as the
child moves towards a greater degree of independence.
In early childhood, parental figures remain the centre of a child’s social world, even
if they spend substantial periods of time in alternative care. This gradually lessens,
particularly during the child’s entrance into formal schooling. The attachment models
of young children are typically assessed in relation to particular figures, such as
parents or other caregivers. There appear to be limitations in their thinking that 37
Development During restrict their ability to integrate relationship experiences into a single general model.
Adolescence
Children usually begin to develop a single general model of attachment relationships
during adolescence, although this may occur in middle childhood.
Relationships with peers have an influence on the child that is distinct from that of
parent-child relationships, though the latter can influence the form of peer relationships
by making the child to interact with some and not with others etc. Although peers
become important in middle childhood, the peers are not seen to become attachment
figures, though children may direct attachment behaviours at peers if parental figures
are unavailable. Attachments to peers tend to emerge in adolescence, although parents
continue to be attachment figures. With adolescents, the role of the parental figures
is to be available when needed while the adolescent makes excursions into the
outside world.
3.3.3.1 Parent Child Attachment in Adolescence
Parent-child attachment relationship is seen in the context of infancy and toddlerhood.
Adolescents face many critical developmental tasks, including seeking autonomy
from parents while increasing reliance on peers. Common sense might suggest that
such a developmental task is incompatible with maintaining a secure attachment with
parents. Contrary to this view, adolescents who successfully navigate this task are
often keenly attentive to the importance of an ongoing relationship with their parents
and to how that relationship may provide a critical bridge between dependence and
autonomy.
When there is a disruption within the parent-adolescent relationship, such as high
conflict or a breach of trust, the adolescent makes corrections in order to reestablish
the relationship. The result, therefore, is limited negative interactions, greater support
within the parent-adolescent relationship, and greater levels of trust. Such a family
environment allows the adolescent more opportunities to seek and establish meaningful,
positive peer relationships in two ways. First, secure attachment with parents serves
as a model for other relationships. This often translates into having secure peer and
romantic partner relationships. Second, adolescents who have the trust and support
of their parents are afforded more opportunities to engage in appropriate peer
relationships, social activities, and environments outside of the home that promote
autonomy.

3.3.4 Parent Child Communication

Another key element underlying strong and protective parent-child relations throughout
the course of childhood and adolescence is the extent to which parents and adolescents
talk openly and honestly with one another. Both the quality and the content of parent
and adolescent communication serve as the framework upon which values and
expectations are shared, information seeking and monitoring are influenced, and
explanations and deeper understanding of behaviour are obtained.
This kind of sharing of values and expectations decreases the possibility of conflict
in the relationship by increasing mutual understanding of the teens and their parents
in addition to eliminating confusion around established rules and roles within the
family. It is important for the parents to listen to the adolescent youngsters when they
try to convey their intentions, plans, and activities. They should avoid criticizing the
youngster’s plans and point out the feasibility of the plan and the impediments in its
implementation. When such listening to the youngster takes place without criticism
and without any punishment, there arises greater trust and better understanding amongst
38
the parents and their adolescent youngsters. As a result, parents may be more Relationship – Family
and Peer Group
comfortable and efficient in situations where they can grant moderated independence,
while adolescents are more likely to abstain from behaviours perceived to drift away
from the parent’s values and expectations.
Free and uninhibited communication between parents and adolescents also provides
protection in terms of parents coming to know of almost all activities of their youngsters
and are in a position thus to help the youngsters stay away from wrong and harmful
activities. Such a communciationn helps parents even to interact with the peers of
their youngsters and are in a position to advise against some companions who have
doubtful integrity. The youngster too trusting the parents thus avoid such relationships
which are harmful and injurious to them. These are some of the greater advantages
of easy communication between parents and adolescent youngsters.
Warm relationships and open communication between parents and their teen age
children are integral to increasing the likelihood that adolescents will feel comfortable
enough to self-disclose information about their plans and activities to their parents.
Finally, there is a natural tendency for parents and adolescents to investigate situations
in which they perceive most others to engage. For instance if parents are told by
their youngsters that they went to a matinee show with their friends skipping the
classes, the parent may find this behaviour to be deviant and would like to stop such
behaviours in future. Accordingly they may help the youngster to see why such
skipping classes are not correct and how their future will be affected and how the
other children too will suffer as a result of such behaviours. All this should be done
without criticism of the youngsters behaviour and that of their friends. Parents too
on their part should definitely allow enough freedom to the youngster after having
conveyed what they wanted. The final decision has to come from within the youngster
in order for it to be acceptable and implemented.
Thus, parents may find that their parenting behaviours seem off center with their
current relationship with their adolescent. Likewise, adolescents may find themselves
in situations of which their parents disapprove. In both instances, the establishment
of open communication increases the opportunity for each to discuss their behaviours.
A breakdown in communication in reaction to a challenging situation, may alter all
of the protective processes that depend on an open communication between parents
and adolescents.
Self Assessment Questions
1) Define attachment perspective. What are the four types of attachment one
comes across in parent child relationship?
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2) How does each type of attachment affect the child’s growth and development?
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39
Development During
Adolescence
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3) Discuss the typical relationship and attachment between parents and adolescent
youngster. What are the unique characteristic features of this relationship?
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4) Discuss the communication pattern between the adolescent and parents. Give
suitable examples.
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3.4 ADOLESCENCE AND THEIR RELATIONS

WITH PEERS
Peer relationships and friendships become more important as children grow into early
adolescence stage of development. Peer acceptance represents social status or
popularity within a large group, whereas friendships represent relationships based on
mutual respect, appreciation, and liking. Early adolescence is a time characterised by
friendships that share more common feelings and are more supportive type relations
than when children are younger.
At the same time, youth who have more mutual friends (i.e., individuals with a similar
degree of affection for one another) are more likely to be accepted by their larger
peer group. Similarly it can be perceived that older adolescent youngsters interact
with peers more frequently and longer than do younger adolescent persons. This
trend is seen in both within school and out of school.
Adolescent peer culture
Adolescent peer culture differs from the younger age children in the patterns of their
relationships between peers. Adolescence is characterised by the emergence of
relationships with relatively larger number of persons instead of just one person or
changing of persons etc., as an important social context of development. Adolescents
prefer to be in smaller group and with close friends, which is defined by dyadic (two-
person) and small-group relationships. Another unique characteristic of peer culture
during adolescents is to have an increased contact with peers of the opposite sex.
Unlike younger children, who adhere to same sex groups, adolescents steadily
increase their levels of association with members of the opposite sex.
The period of Adolescence is marked by the increased need and ability for intimate
relationships both in the form of friendships and in the form of romantic relationships
such as dating. As children enter adolescence, they begin to form more sustaining
relationships with peers than they had at prior stages of development. During this
40
period, new relationships develop because adolescents have greater opportunities for
independence from parents and are more able to see themselves as part of a larger Relationship – Family
and Peer Group
community of people. Adolescent youngsters tend to get involved in new relationships
with peers which may become new sources of trust. They need these new support
relationships since information or support from a parent may no longer be as relevant.
They also need these relationships to help establish their identity. By comparing
opinions and values with others, teenagers can learn what makes them unique.
The development of enhanced relationships with others may not come easily for
some adolescents. A possible intervention to help develop interpersonal relationships
is interpersonal groups, such as task-oriented, social-recreational, and therapeutic
groups. What makes institutional groups different from informal peer groups, like
cliques, is that they bring these youngsters together who may have not otherwise
developed relationships. Further, these groups can provide the social skills and positive
self-image which may enhance their self esteem.
Biological changes also play an important role in adolescents’ need to form relationships
with the opposite sex Finding the “right” clique to belong to can provide adolescents
with a very much needed emotional and social support that can help them successfully
navigate the demands of adolescence. Finding the “wrong” clique, on the other hand,
can lead to maladaptive consequences that can include deviant behavioural patterns.
The question of the direction of peer group influence on adolescents, however, is not
a simple one. The peer group exerts a direct and overt influence on the adolescent’s
behaviour which as mentioned earlier is mutual and interactional.
Adolescents tend to choose peer groups that share their own beliefs and norms. Peer
groups tend to approach like-minded adolescents to join their group. While peer
culture tends to influence adolescent behaviour, it is quite clear that only part of the
variation in adolescent behaviour affect the members of peer group. For example,
adolescents’ smoking and alcohol drinking patterns are attributed to peer pressure
upto only 10 to 40 percent of the time. It is also important to note that peer culture
influences are not limited to deviant behaviour only but to many other positive
behaviours including academic achievement , positive contributory role of social
work in the community, bringing solace to large number of persons in need of help
etc.
Adolescent Peer Culture and School
The stage of adolescence is characterised by a desire for Peer acceptance and
membership in a clique as important aspects of life. Peer crowds and cliques can
have profound influence on how adolescents adjust to a school setting. With their
unique norms and standards these cliques make the adolescent member feel a sense
of belongingness and thereby contribute to the development of self identity. Normally
youngsters in every school like to achieve but there are some who cannot achieven
due to certain reasons and thus they are not popular with the achiever group. Those
youngsters who achieve academically are very much sought after by many but those
who fail to achieve form themselves into a clique and this clique can become at times
so powerful and popular that many students would like to belong to such a clique.
At times unfortunately these cliques may work against the established norms of the
school and may also propagate underachievement. These are the cliques which may
encourage youngsters to skip the classes and indulge in varied activities that are not
in line with the societal norms. The leader and members of such cliques would put
a great deal of pressure on its members to underachieve in school, and many
youngsters who want to be identified with the popular persons, opt to be with
students labeled as the “populars” or the “jocks”. In course of time some youngsters 41
Development During who are part of such groups start getting poorer marks and go down in their
Adolescence
academics considerably causing anxiety to parents and teachers alike. As things
become worse, the youngsters start indulging in many deviant activities and come
into conflict with the Law of the Land.
The strong relationship between a positive and supportive peer culture in school and
classroom settings and students’ academic, emotional, and social adjustment shows
a students’ sense of belonging and sense of community in a school setting and their
academic, social, and emotional adjustment.
According to the adolescent needs, a supportive peer community is one that:
 Shares their values and educational goals.
 Actively supports their learning needs.
 Provides a safe and pro-social environment in which adolescents can learn.
 Values their contributions.
Students with a higher sense of community in the school and classroom have higher
grades and higher academic self-esteem. They also display higher levels of learning
orientation and greater interest in complex problem solving tasks. They tend to
display a higher social skills and pro-social behaviour.

3.5 PEERS VERSUS PARENTS

Adolescence is a period when an individual is drastically changed which is swift and
thorough in all aspects. The influence a parent had on their children during early years
reduces considerably with the adolescent youngster even protesting against parental
dominance and influence. They go out of the way to reject parental advice even
though they very well are aware that the advice and counsel of parents is the need
of the hour. They prefer to hang around with friends whom they know perhaps only
for a couple of months.
It must be remembered that such attraction to the peer group comes about gradually
as they get more and more involved in the group activities and their discussion groups
and other activity groups. Also, as mentioned earlier, adolescents will gravitate towards
and be influenced by their peers when they feel insecure or have poor communication
with the parents and siblings at home. When they do not feel loved or accepted,
when they have no boundaries and when they are not getting training and guidance
from their parents they will reach out to like minded peers in whom they find security.
Similarly when they do not have simple life skills to know how to handle situations
or when circumstances are dangerous, they are easily sucked into harmful situations
because they think others are having more fun than they are. When others have more
input into the teenage lives than their parents do, the level of parental influence is
greatly lessened.
To avoid the above mentioned situations, parents can be proactive by talking to their
children well before they hit teen years. An open communication can encourage their
teens to tell them what they are feeling. Listening to their opinions and ideas and by
praising their wisdom and good decisions, parents should prepare their children by
telling them the kinds of temptations they are likely to face and show them how to
say, “No” to unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, drugs and sexual experimentation.
Parents can strengthen their relations with their adolescence by helping them understand
how their bodies are changing and how their moods will be affected by changes in
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hormones. Reminding them of what family values are and the need to adhere to them
for their own safety, comfort and security, and encouraging and participating with the Relationship – Family
and Peer Group
adolescence in various healthy physical activities like team sports, membership in
service clubs, Scouts etc. will help build confidence in the youngster. By giving
responsibilities of doing something for the community will be of value as this is time
when they youngster is fired with enthusiasm and idealism to do something for the
downtroddenThe parents must encourage in the youngster accountability and trust
within that they can do and are capable of doing things that are assigned to them as
tasks. In addition, parents should monitor their friendships and guide them in a non-
judgmental way.
Parents should try to place their children in schools in which positive peer groups and
cliques are influential in the community culture of the school, while avoiding schools
in which negative peer groups that advocate deviant behaviours are predominant.
The degree to which an adolescent will continue to be influenced by parents is
directly related to the type of group or clique he or she belongs to. If the adolescent
is a member of groups in which parents and their advice are considered valuable
resources, then a parent will continue to be very influential during adolescence. If,
however, the adolescent becomes a member of a group that promotes deviant
behaviour, then the ability of the parents to exert influence on the adolescent’s
behaviour is greatly diminished.
Self Assessment Questions
1) Discuss how important is Peer relationships and friendships for an adolescent?
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2) How does peer pressure operate? What is positive peer pressure and what
is negative peer pressure?
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3) What do nyou understand by peer culture? In what way the peer culture
affect an adolescent development and behaviours?
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4) Explain parents measures to protect their teens from negative peer pressure.
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Development During
Adolescence 3.6 LET US SUM UP
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development that
occurs between childhood and adulthood. It is usually accompanied by an increased
independence allowed by the parents or legal guardians and less supervision.
Adolescence is known as being a gangly, awkward, and troublesome individual. This
period of life was seen as a time of “storm and stress”.
It is a time during which teenagers learn to think for themselves, develop the right
values and make decisions. They may display open rebellion and animosity when
their restless, resistance to authority and dependence on various fads.
Teenagers during this period has general increase in peer focus and involvement in
peer related social sports and other extracurricular activities. The importance to the
activities they do with the peers is higher than they attach to the academic activities
with family members.
The importance of social acceptance during adolescence, friendship networks during
this period often are organised into relatively rigid cliques that differ in social status
within school and community setting.
Parents and their adolescence relate or interact, on a number of different levels such
as playmates, as teachers, and students, as healer and patient, as disciplinarian and
offender. Interaction between parents and their children are characterised by warmth,
consistently shown to have positive outcomes.
A relation between a parent and their adolescence is very crucial and also decides
upon the self esteem and an overall personality growth/development of the teenager.
Adolescence that are able to talk to their parents about issues that are important to
them and get emotional support are important to them and get emotional support are
less likely to rely on peers for advice on important issues.
Parenting is a complex activity that includes many specific behaviours that work
individually and together to influence child outcomes. Parenting style captures two
important elements of parenting: parental responsiveness and parental demandingness.
Parental responsiveness refers to “the extent to which parents intentionally foster
individuality, self-regulation, and self-assertion by being attuned, supportive, and
acquiescent to children’s special needs and demands”. Parental demandingness refers
to “the claims parents make on children to become integrated into the family whole,
by their maturity demands, supervision, disciplinary efforts and willingness to confront
the child who disobeys”. Both parental responsiveness and parental demandingness
are important components of good parenting.
Attachment is the inclination for one individual to seek closeness with another individual
(example, parents, romantic partner, etc), to feel safe when that person, and to feel
anxious in his/her absence.
Peer relationships and friendships become more important as children grow into early
adolescents. Peer acceptance represents social status or popularity within a large
group, whereas friendships represent relationships based on mutual respect,
appreciation, and liking. Early adolescence is a time characterised by friendships that
share more common feelings and are more supportive than when children are younger.
Adolescence is a period when an individual is drastically changed which is swift and
44 thorough in all aspects. The influence a parent had on their children during early years
vs whom they hang with seems to determine the outcome.
 Relationship – Family
3.7 UNIT END QUESTIONS and Peer Group

1) What are the important features of adolescent stage of development

2) What kind of relationship adolescents have with their family members?
3) What brings about a change in family relationship between the adolescent and
parents during the adolescent stage of development?
4) What type of communication is needed between adolescent and the parents?
Explain in detail.
5) What is meant by adolescent peer culture? How it is affecting the beahviours
of adolescent youngster?
6) What can parents do to ward off the negative influence of the peer culture?
Explain with suitable examples.

3.8 SUGGESTED READINGS

Hurlock, E.B. (1980). Developmental Psychology. Prentice Hall, New York.
Cooper, P.R. (1994), Cultural Perspectives on Continuity and Change in
Adolescent Years, Sage, New York.

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