Early Adolescents' Perceptions of Peer Pressure

TLDR

The study builds on prior research on conformity and Newman and Newman's postulates about early adolescent identity development. The study aims to examine the nature of peer pressures perceived by early adolescents. The authors surveyed 373 seventh‑ to twelfth‑grade students using a 12‑item index to assess perceived peer pressures and related attitudes and behaviors. Results showed that peers were perceived as encouraging misconduct less than other behaviors, females reported stronger pressure toward conformity and social involvement, and associations between perceived pressures and personal attitudes or behaviors were modest and sometimes mediated by gender or grade.

Abstract

To examine the nature of peer pressures perceived by early adolescents, 373 students in grades 7-12 were asked to indicate, on a 12-item index, the degree and direction of peer pressures they perceived from friends and acquaintances, and to describe their personal attitudes and behavior in areas corresponding to index items. Analyses revealed that peers were seen as encouraging misconduct less than other types of behavior. Females reported stronger peer pressure than males toward conformity (to peer norms) and social involvement, but the genders did not differ in perceptions of misconduct or pro-adult pressures. Associations between perceived pressures and personal attitudes or behavior were significant but modest, and sometimes were mediated by gender or grade level. Findings are discussed in light of previous research on conformity and Newman and Newman's postulates concerning early adolescent identity development.