1. Changes in Peer Groups In Adolescence u ESM method (Larson et al.): Time family decreases, time with peers increases across adolescence u Buhrmester and colleagues: –Adolescents ages 13-16 avg 28 mins/day with parents –Time with friends avg. 103 minutes/day

2. Who is Your Main Source of Support? u Furman & Buhrmester, 1992: –4 th Graders: Parents are main source of support –7 th Graders: Same sex friends = parents –10 th Graders: Same sex friends > parents –College: Romantic partners main source u A Dutch study: With whom do you communicate about personal feelings? (Teens ages 15-19 years) –~50% listed a best friend or relationship partner, 20% listed a parent (only 3% named fathers) u But, higher trust in parents, and confiding in parents, positively correlated with trust/confiding in peers

3. Teens with Peers vs. Parents u Youniss & Smollar (1985): Approx 70% said: –My close friend understands me better than my parents –I learn more from my close friends than my parents –I’m more myself with close friends than parents u Larson & Richards (’94): –It’s easier to talk about feelings—especially about romantic relationships—with friends –More emotional highs with friends than parents, being wild or silly –Also, a great deal of worry/insecurity about how much they are accepted by friends, peers –Triangles in peer relationships

4. Intimacy in Friendships u Sullivan (1953): “Chum” at ~ age 10 –Special same sex friend, because of developing abilities for empathy and perspective taking. Important “practice” for later intimate relationships. u In adolescence, a friend is someone who: –You can confide in, share your problems with –Really listens to you –Understands you u Loyalty and trust are very important u Developing cognitive abilities for abstract thought help explain the developmental shift –E.g., loyalty, trust, sharing complexities in relationships

5. Gender Differences in Friendships u Compared with boys: Girls spend more time talking to friends, view talking as more important in a friendship u Girls rate friends as higher in affection, helpfulness, and nurturance, than boys’ ratings of friends u Girls more likely to say they trust, feel close to friend u Boys more likely to emphasize shared activities as basis of friendship

6. Peer Influences u Are peer influences on one another’s risky behaviors (“peer pressure”) overrated? u Adolescents choose friends who are already similar to them on risk behaviors u Friends become more similar on risk over time –Includes substance abuse, aggression u Influences can also promote non-risk behavior –Friends can influence you not to do drugs/alcohol –Pressure towards risky behavior rated by teens as weaker peer influence than pressure to conform to style of dress/hair, participating in school activities

7. Cliques u Small groups of friends (often 4 - 6) –Small enough so members know each other well, cohesive –Sometimes defined by shared activities (e.g., music, sports), sometimes just a friendship group –It is the main social group for adolescents, for friendship, support, and ‘hanging out’ –Typically same-sex and age, enjoy same activities (including risky ones) –Not all youth are members of cliques. »Some have contacts with multiple cliques. Some have little contact with any clique.

8. Crowds u Large groups of similarly stereotyped youth. –(E.g. jocks, populars, nerds, headbangers, druggies) u What function do crowds serve?? u Developmental features: –Require capacity for abstraction (categorize attitudes, popularity) –Crowds increase in number, become more differentiated, from middle school to high school –Influence of crowds declines in later adolescence. Crowds may even be seen as a hindrance to one’s individuality. u Teens may not accept or like their crowd identities

9. Relational Aggression u Expressing anger in non-physical, or indirect ways u More common among girls u Includes: –Sarcasm & ridicule »Controls others’ behavior, conformity, strengthens group identity –Gossip & rumors –Excluding from clique