Adolescence: Peer Groups and Identity

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1. What are the positive aspects of peer groups during adolescence?

Peer groups during adolescence provide the opportunity for social skills development, a sense of belonging and identity formation. It helps the adolescent learn essentail social skills and the ability to bond with others. It also provides an opportunity to develop an independent self-image separate from his family and parents.

In fact, adolescents want to be with people their own age - their peers. During the teen years, adolescents spend more time with their peers and without parental supervision. With peers, teens can be both connected and independent, as they break away from their parents' images of them and develop identities of their own. http://www.focusas.com/PeerInfluence.html

These developmental tasks are essential in order to move successfully to adulthood stage of development.

Developing a realistic, stable and positive identity is indeed the major developmental task of adolescence. Peers - play an important role in adolescent life. Adolescence is a period when young people spend a lot of time talking (development social skills and forming an identity separate from parents) and hanging out with each other. Peers provide the opportunity to explore different identities, social ideas and the nature of relationships. The processes of peer influence often support the parental values, but it can also support problem behaviors. And, adolescents who rely on the peer group, rather than the family, for their main support are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure to engage in problem behaviors, such as smoking drinking or drugs (http://www.cfc-efc.ca/docs/vocfc/00000799.htm). However, with the balance of independence and parental supervision, the positive aspects of peer will prevail.

Everyone needs to belong - to feel connected with others and be with others who share attitudes, interests, and circumstances that resemble their own. This is especially true in adolescents, which is a period of development where peers often take ...