INTERACTION WITH PEERS

INTERACTION WITH PEERS

1. AO1

   • Relationships with peers
     • Influence later adult relationships
     • Peers become more influential
       • As children progress in adult
       • Playing significant role in individuals
         • Becoming independent adults
           • Helping to develop social skills
             • Including those needed for adult relationships
     • Peer relationships do not replace
       • Adult attachments
       • Just another type of attachment
   • Peer relationship differ from attachments with adults
     • As horizontal relationships
       • Between individuals of equal status
   • Two stages in development of adolescent peer relationships
     • 1. Friendship cliques form of small groups
       • Same sex
       • Around age of 12
     • At about 14 several cliques of both sexes merge
       • Together to form groups
     • From these groups individuals will form
       • Into romantic relationships

2. RESEARCH

   • Meier et al
     • Found that both type and quality
       • Of adolescent relationships
     • Relate to type and quality of adult relationships
     • Suggesting link between the two
   • Hartup
     • Found popular children
       • With many friends
         • Among peers
     • More socially able
     • Better at forming relationships
   • Bagwell et al
     • Found poor quality friendships linked
       • With low self esteem
     • While good quality friendships linked
       • With high selfesteem
     • An important factor
       • In having the confidence
         • To build successful adult relationships

3. EVALUATION

   • During adolescence
     • Attachments with parents
       • Can change to more of relationship of equals
         • Similar to relationships
           • With peers
     • And development of these attachments
       • Can influence adult relationships
   • Furman
     • Believed because peer relationships
       • On equal footings
     • Provide opportunities for cooperation
       • And mutual altruism
       • That are not present in child-adult relaitonships
     • These qualities important
       • In forming successful romantic relationships

4. IDA

   • Deterministic
     • Other factors influential
       • Attachment style
   • Measurements of attachment/relationship
     • Types and strengths
     • E.g strange situation
     • Culturally specific
       • Not applicable to non-western cultures
     • Seen as culturally biased
       • Ethnocentric
   • Gender differences
     • Research generally
       • Does not take account male/female peer groups
         • Have different influences on adult relationships