Peer Groups

Peer Group Since the first day of going to a park with our parents we have encountered being put into peer groups. Our parents would always push us to say hi to someone who was the same age or gender. A peer group is a social group whose members have interests, social position, and age in common. I think the reason we like to be with our peer groups is pretty obvious. I think it is because people of the same age, beliefs , values, likes and dislikes, and above all similar attitudes is why we like to be around a certain group. Children can communicate better with their peers. They are more free willed to talk about topics that are not usually discussed at home with parents. For example, children talk about music food and toys. As they grow up they start to talk about sex and drugs. Statistics have shown that teens now days feel more comfortable when they are with their friends instead of their own family. This is when I think the distancing begins with the adolescence. The adolescent may want to do what the other peers are doing and in return the parents will object. This will cause rebellions and friction between the parent and child. Peer groups in schools also can have an influence on other groups. Some groups might think they are better or superior than the others. I think this usually has a relationship with bullying and kids being put down. Being put down and teased throughout school has long term effects. It will have a great influence on self-esteem and behavior throughout the rest of their life. I remember when I was going through my adolescence that I would want to dress the same way the popular group did. I would want the same shoes and materialistic things like the Jansport backpack and the converse because I wanted to be accepted in the “popular group”. This process is called anticipatory socialization , learning that helps a person achieve a desired position. People are willing to conform to be placed in a higher ranking.