SOCIAL CHANGES DURING

ADOLESCENCE
SOCIAL CHANGES DURING ADOLESCENCE
One of the most difficult developmental tasks of adolescence relates to social
adjustments. These adjustments must be made to members of the opposite sex in a
relationship that never existed before and to adults outside the family and school
environments.
• Increased peer-group influence
• Changes in social behavior
• New social groupings
• New Values in Friendship Selection
• New Values in Social Acceptance and Rejection
• New values in the Selection of Leaders
 INCREASED PEER-GROUP INFLUENCE
 The peer group is the adolescent's real world, providing him a stage upon
which to try out himself and others. The peer group offers the adolescent a
world in which he may socialize in a climate where the values that count are
those that are set, not by adults, but by others of his own age.
CHANGES IN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
 It is a period of time that adolescents make the radical shift from disliking
members of the opposite sex to preferring their companionship to that of
members of their own sex social activities, whether with members of the same
sex or with the opposite sex, usually reach their peak during the high-school
years.
 NEW SOCIAL GROUPINGS
 There are changes in some of these social groupings as adolescence
progresses. Interest in organized groups, whose activities are planned and
to a large extent controlled by adults, wanes rapidly as independence-
conscious adolescents resent, being told what to do. Only if the control of
the activities of these groups is turned over to them, with minimum of adult
advice and interference, will interest continue.
NEW VALUES IN SELECTION OF FRIENDS
 Adolescents want as friends those whose interests and values are similar to
theirs, who understand them and make them feel secure, and in whom they
can confide problems and discuss matters they feel they cannot share with
parents or teachers.
 NEW VALUES IN SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE
 Adolescents have new values concerning their friends, so they have new
values concerning acceptable or unacceptable members of different peer
groups, such as cliques, crowds, or gangs. These values are based largely
on peer-group values which are used to judge members of the group.
NEW VALUES IN SELECTION LEADERS
 Because adolescents feel that the leaders of their peer groups represent
them in the eyes of society, they therefore want leaders of superior ability
who will be admired and respected by others and who, in turn, will reflect
favorably on them.
ADOLESCENT SOCIAL GROUPINGS
 CLOSE FRIENDS
The adolescent usually has two or three close friends, or confidants. They are
of the same sex and have similar interests and abilities. Close friends have a marked
influence on one another, though they may quarrel occasionally.
CLIQUES
Cliques are usually made up of groups of close friends. At first they consist of
members of the same sex, but later include both boys and girls.
CROWDS
Crowds, made up of cliques and groups of close friends, develop as interest in
parties and dating grows. Because crowds are large, there is less congeniality of
interest among the members and thus a greater social distance between them.
 ORGANIZED GROUPS
Adult-directed youth groups are established by schools and community
organizations to meet the social needs of adolescents who belong to no
cliques or crowds. Many adolescents who join such groups feel regimented and
lose interest in them by the time they are sixteen or seventeen.
GANGS
Adolescents who belong to no cliques or crowds and who gain little
satisfaction from organized groups may join a gang. Gang members are
usually of the same sex, and their main interest is to compensate for peer
rejection through antisocial behavior.
 CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTING TO ACCEPTANCE AND REJECTION IN
ADOLESCENCE

ACCEPTANCE SYNDROME
• A favorable first impression as a result of an attractive appearance, poise, and
cheerfulness
• A reputation as a good sport and one who is fun to be with
• Appearance that conforms to that of peers
• Social behavior characterized by cooperativeness, responsibility, resourcefulness,
interest in others, tact, and good manners
• Maturity, especially in terms of emotional control and willingness to conform to
rules and regulations
• Personality traits that contribute to good social adjustments, such as
truthfulness, sincerity, unselfishness, and extroversion
• A socioeconomic status that is equal to, or slightly above, that of the other
group members and a good relationship with family members
• Geographic proximity to the group which permits frequent contacts and
participation in group activities
ALIENATION SYNDROME
• An unfavorable first impression as a result of unattractive appearance or an
aloof, self- centered attitude
• A reputation as a poor sport
• Appearance that does not conform standards of physical attractiveness or
grooming
• Social behavior characterized by showing of teasing and bullying others,
bossiness, uncooperativeness, and lack of tact
• Lack of maturity, especially in the areas of emotional control, poise, self-
confidence, and tact
• Personality traits that irritate others, such as selfishness, stubbornness,
resentfulness, nervousness and irritability
• A socioeconomic status below that of the group and poor relationships
with family members
• geographic isolation from the peer group or inability to participate in
group activities due to family responsibilities or a part-time job
 SOME ADOLESCENT INTERESTS

The interests of adolescents depend upon their sex, their intelligence, the
environment in which they live, the opportunities they have had for developing
interests, what their peers are interested in, their status in the social group, their
innate abilities, the interests of their families, and many other factors.
 RECREATIONAL INTERESTS OF ADOLESCENTS
GAMES AND SPORTS
Organized games and sports lose their appeal as adolescence progresses,
and the adolescent begins to prefer spectator sports. Games requiring
intellectual skill, such as card games, increase in popularity.
RELAXING
Adolescents enjoy relaxing and talking with their friends. They often eat
while gossiping and exchanging jokes and older adolescents may smoke, drink, or
take drugs.
TRAVELING
The adolescent enjoys traveling during vacations and may want to go
farther and farther away from home. Parental affluence and youth hostels make
travel possible for many adolescents.
HOBBIES
Because hobbies are, for the most part, solitary recreational activities,
unpopular adolescents are more interested in hobbies than popular ones. Many
pursue useful hobbies; girls may make their own clothes, and boys enjoy
repairing radios, bicycles, or cars.
DANCING
Although many boys have little interest in dancing, they, like girls, try to
become good dancers because it is an important part of dating.
READING
Because adolescents have limited time for recreational reading, they tend to
prefer magazines to books. As adolescence progresses, comic books and comic
strips lose some of their appeal, and newspapers gain in popularity.
MOVIES
Going to the movies is a favorite clique activity and later a popular dating
activity. Girls prefer romantic movies, while boys like those dealing with adventure.
RADIO AND RECORDS
Adolescents enjoy listening to the radio while studying or engaging in
solitary forms of amusement. Programs of popular music are the favorites, they
also enjoy listening to records.
TELEVISION
Television watching loses some of its appeal as adolescence progresses,
partly because the adolescent becomes increasingly critical of the programs and
partly because the adolescent cannot study or read and watch television
simultaneously. Figure 8-4 shows how television program preferences are
influenced by those with whom the adolescent views the program.
DAYDREAMING
In a typical adolescent daydream, adolescents see themselves as
conquering heroes gaining prestige in the eyes of the peer group by their
achievements. Daydreaming is a popular recreation among all adolescents when
they are bored or lonely.

COMMON SOCIAL INTERESTS OF ADOLESCENTS

PARTIES
Interest in parties with members of the opposite sex first manifests
itself at about age thirteen or fourteen. Girls enjoy parties more than
boys throughout adolescence.
DRINKING
Drinking on dates or at parties becomes increasingly more popular as
adolescence progresses girls rarely drink with members of their own sex, as boys do
DRUGS
While far from universal, the use of drugs is a popular clique and party
activity, beginning in early adolescence. Many adolescents try drugs because it is the
thing to do," although few become addicts.
CONVERSATIONS
All adolescents derive a sense of security from getting together with a group
of peers and talking about the things that interest or disturb them. Such get-togethers
provide an opportunity to blow off emotional steam and get a new perspective on
their problems.
HELPING OTHERS
Many young adolescents are sincerely interested in trying to help people
they feel have been misunderstood, mistreated, or oppressed. As adolescence
progresses, this interest wanes for two reasons. First, adolescents start to feel
that there is nothing they can do to right these wrongs and. Second, they feel
that their attempts are often unappreciated.
WORLD AFFAIRS
Through courses in school and the mass media, adolescents often develop
an interest in government, politics, and world affairs. They express this interest
mainly through reading and discussions with their peers, teachers, and parents.
CRITICISM AND REFORM
Almost all young adolescents, but especially girls, become critical and
attempt to reform their parents, peers, schools, and communities. Their criticisms
are generally destructive rather than constructive, and their suggestions for
reform are usually impractical

FACTORS INFLUENCING ADOLESCENT ATTITUDES TOWARD EDUCATION

• Peer attitudes - whether they are college-oriented or work-oriented.
• Parental attitudes-- whether parents consider education a stepping-stone to
upward social mobility or only a necessity because it is required by law.
• Grades, which indicate academic success failure.
• The relevance or practical value of various courses. See figure 8-5.
• Attitudes toward teachers, administrators and academic and disciplinary
policies.
• Success in extracurricular activities.
• Degree of social acceptance among classmates.

RECREATIONAL INTERESTS
 As adolescence progresses, there is a breaking away from recreations that
require much expenditure of energy and the development of a preference for
recreations in which the adolescent is a passive spectator. In early
adolescence, there is a carry-over of some of the play activities of the early
years and the introduction of new and more mature forms of recreation.
SOCIAL INTERESTS
 Social interests depend partly on what opportunities adolescents have to
develop such interests and partly on how popular they are with members of
the peer group.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
 Interest in themselves is the strongest inters young adolescents have, partly
because they realize that their social acceptance is markedly influenced by
their general appearance, and partly because the know the social group
judges them in terms of their material possessions, independence, and school
and social affiliations, as well as the amount of spending money they have.
• INTEREST IN APPEARANCE
Interest in appearance covers not only clothes but personal adornment,
grooming, attractive and sex-appropriate physical features. According to CROSS
AND CROSS, "beauty and physical attractiveness are of great practical
importance for human beings. Social acceptance, popularity, mate selection and
careers are all affected by an individual's physical attractiveness".
• INTEREST IN CLOTHES
Their personal and social adjustments are greatly influenced by their age-
mates' attitudes toward their clothes, most adolescents are anxious to conform to
what the group approves of in the matter of dress. As Ryan has pointed out, "one
of the primary requirements of clothing for the young adolescent is that their
clothing meets the approval of the peer group".
• INTEREST IN ACHIEVEMENTS
Achievements bring personal satisfaction as well as social recognition. That
is why achievements, whether in sports, school work, or social activities become
such a strong interest as adolescence progresses.
• INTEREST IN INDEPENDENCE
A strong desire for independence develops in early adolescence and
reaches a peak as this period draws to a close. This leads to many clashes with
parents and other adults in authority.
• INTEREST IN MONEY
When, on the other hand, adolescents have money they have earned
themselves, they can enjoy independence. Interest in money therefore becomes an
important element in independence. This interest centers mainly on how to earn
the most money possible, regardless of the kind of work done.
EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS
The attitudes of older adolescents toward education are greatly influenced
by their vocational interests. If they are aspiring to occupations which require
education beyond high school, they will regard education as a stepping-stone.
They will be interested in the courses they feel will be useful to them in their
chosen field of work. As is true of the younger adolescent, the older
adolescent considers success in sports and social life as important as academic
work as a stepping-stone to future success
VOCATIONAL INTERESTS
 Boys and girls of high school age begin to think seriously about their futures.
Boys are usually more seriously concerned about an occupation than girls,
many of whom regard a job as just a stopgap until marriage.
By late adolescence, interest in a life career has often become a source of great
concern. Older adolescents are concerned about what they would like to do and
what they are capable of doing. Furthermore, older adolescents have a growing
realization of how much it costs to live and they also know what young people,
just out of school can expect to earn.
RELIGIOUS INTERESTS
 Contrary to popular opinion, adolescents of today are interested in religion
and feel that it plays an important role in their lives. Contrary to popular
opinion, adolescents of today are interested in religion and feel that it plays an
important role in their lives.
INTERESTS IN STATUS SYMBOL
 Status symbols are prestige symbols that tell others that the person who has
them is superior or has a higher status in the group than other group members.
During adolescence, status symbols serve four important functions: they tell others
that the adolescent has a high or even a higher socioeconomic status than other
members of the peer group; that the adolescent is superior in some achievement
that is valued by the group; that the adolescent is affiliated with the group and
is an accepted member of it because of appearance or actions similar to those
of other group members; and that the adolescent has a near-adult status in
society.
 PATTERN OF CHANGES IN RELIGIOUS INTERESTS
PERIOD OF RELIGIOUS AWAKENING
When adolescents prepare to join the church of their parents, their interest
in religion is heightened. As a result of this increased interest, they may either
become extremely enthusiastic about religion-even to the point where they think
they want to devote their lives to it-or they may grow skeptical of the religious
beliefs they accepted unquestioningly during childhood. They often compare these
beliefs with those of their friends, or analyze them critically in terms of their
increased knowledge.
PERIOD OF RELIGIOUS DOUBT
As a result of a critical examination of their childhood beliefs, adolescents
often become skeptical of religious forms, such as prayer and formal church rituals,
and later begin to doubt religious content, such as teachings about the nature of
god and life after death.
For some adolescents, doubt leads to a lessening of all religious observances,
while others attempt to find a faith that meets their needs better than that of
their family.
PERIOD OF RELIGIOUS RECONSTRUCTION
• Sooner or later, most adolescents feel the need of some religious faith, even
though they find their childhood faith no longer meets their needs. When this
happens, they search for a new faith—the faith of an intimate friend of the
same or of the opposite sex, or of one of the new religious cults. These cults are
constantly springing up in different parts of the country and have a strong
appeal to the older adolescents and young adults who lack religious ties. Such
young people are easy prey to any new or different religious cult.