Key idea: Peer influence is the effect friends and classmates have on what we think and do. It peaks in adolescence, when belonging matters most.
How peers shape the self
1
Belonging
Fitting in with a group shapes clothes, music, words and values.
2
Comparison
Teenagers judge themselves against friends: 'Am I as good, as liked, as brave?'
3
Reward
Approval from friends feels especially rewarding in adolescence.
Belong · Compare · Reward
Peers: Gardner and Steinberg (2005) found teenagers took about twice as many risks in a driving game when friends watched, while adults barely changed. Peer influence peaks in adolescence.
Go further: higher-level insight: The teenage brain's reward system is very active while self-control is still maturing (3.2.1), which helps explain why friends' approval matters so much.
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Key idea: Peers can push behaviour in either direction, risk or effort; the research is strongest on risk.
Strengths
- An experiment: alone or with friends
- Age groups compared
- Fits brain development
Limitations
- A video game, not real driving
- People choose their friends
- Says little about positive influence
Peer influence is not only negative: friends who study, play sport or volunteer pull behaviour the other way, and belonging supports a teenager's identity.
Watch out: Influence or selection? Teenagers who like risk may choose risky friends. Say how a study rules this out.