Functions of Peers Peers are very important in assisting with the process of separation and individuation. The reasons are because peers act as mirror. Teenagers’ peers provide reinforcement of their growing identity. Teenagers discover, through their peers, that their likes, interests and ideas are shared. Furthermore, this shows them that these things have value and by extension, that they themselves have values as people. Peers act as testing ground. Teenagers can test out ideas, jokes, and behaviors and so on with their peers that they wouldn’t feel comfortable doing with their parents – or indeed, that wouldn’t be appropriate to do with their parents. Just as a family develops its own ‘story’ that has morals, codes, things that are OK and things that aren’t, so too does the peers. Peers provide social support and safety. ‘First times’ are more fun celebrated with peers than being alone. It might be that first illicit cigarette, getting into the cinema underage, that first can of beer. Peers provide the opportunity for a teenager to celebrate new things and new experiences and sympathized first …show more content…
In pretending or lying about liking something just because their friends or peers said they like it. Majority of both male and female answered yes. They said that it is because they don’t want to upset their friends into not liking it and also pressured in liking it.
4. In lying to parent just because their friends told them so majority answered no. But even though majority of them answered no there are still others who answered yes and they reasoned that it’s because they were pressured into it and they just do it in a situation where they really need to.
5. In answering the question whether they were influenced by peer pressure majority of them answered yes. And after they answered yes they were questioned in what way they were affected. Again majority of them answered that they were affected in both negative and positive way depending on the situation.
6. 84 % of both male and female answered that peer pressure can be both good and bad while 13 % said that it is bad and only 3 percent that it is good. They said that peer pressure cannot be only bad or cannot only be good. There are times that it really depends on the situation they are