Firstly, the ideas of being isolated from a friendship group is a daunting vision for many youngsters, and are thus willing to adopt the groups norms and values if it means they will acquire popularity or just to be part of a group. The peer group is a secondary agent of socialisation which means they develop and further reinforce the learning one was once subjected to in early childhood. A peer group that holds good values, like hard work may encourage its members into positive things, yet one that has detrimental values may lead to deviant behaviour. In spite of this influence, some may argue that the media in today’s media saturated world has become the most influential agent of socialisation. Stereotypes related to gender are regularly portrayed in the media.
Young children can be self conscious they can think, but they don’t think about thinking. Self consciousness is exacerbated by the Imaginary Audience. Teens feel that a group of people are always watching and judging them on everything that they do. When a teen feels like they are getting judge by an audience that doesn’t exist this is called Imaginary audience. Imaginary audience arises from the larger concept of adolescent egocentrism.
Alexander Robbins, the author of The Overachievers, shows the readers what life is like as an overachiever in high school through great research and being able to follow the lives of high school students. Robbins wants readers to know how hard it is to be a student in high school and the struggles that students go through. The authors point was to argue that the factors of life in high school such as parents, teachers, AP classes, and colleges are affecting students’ physical and emotional health in a harmful way rather than helping to develop students’ education and life. Robbins stresses her argument to prove her point by giving the readers a look into some of the lives of high school overachievers: AP Frank, Julie, and Audrey. From the moment a student begins school, there will be a parent or form of parent, to watch over and make sure to receive a good education.
No matter what group a child associates with, there will be influences. Peer pressure is a growing epidemic in schools today that needs to be addressed. Peer pressure is a social influence cast on an individual by others, or pressure on a child to behave in a certain manner that is acceptable to a certain group. Peer pressure has a negative connotation; however, not all of it is negative. When a student is surrounded by “the right crowd”, peer influences tend to better the student.
Excluded young people are more likely to suffer social and educational disadvantages. This includes all forms of abuse, frequently moving homes, domestic violence, bereavement and homelessness. Young People risks their health through smoking, drug and alcohol use, unsafe sex and becoming parents in their teens. The community they live in is also a factor on their wellbeing. Wellbeing including a sense of safety and stability with positive interaction and community involvement.
The movie explores the relationship amongst high school students who are socially separated, are forced together and find that they had more in common than they initially thought. The symbolic interaction theory supports this result saying, “Education emerges depending on the character of social interaction between groups in schools [and] schools are sites where social interaction between groups influences changes for individual and group success” (Margaret L. Anderson, 2008). Before the movie begins there is a quote from musician David Bowie saying, “..and these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds are immune to your consultations. They are quite aware of what they’re going through…” (Changes, 1972). The song expresses how people are aware of society’s views, so people try to change what society thinks of them and when they are trying to change they ultimately ignore what society thinks.
AP English Problem - Solution Essay Don’t Care About What Others Say, Just Be Yourself Have you ever tried really hard to fit in at school or anywhere that requires some social action? Have you ever been judged because you were trying to fit in? Well, that’s a day in the life of a basic teenager. Every day, teenagers try to fit in somewhere in their school and sometimes are often judged by what they do and rejected. Because of that, teenagers lose their sense of security and self – esteem and every one of them needs a little of those in them.
Their self-conscience is highly regarded as conceited which can cause personal distortion. Generally these added pressures serve as only distractions in a child’s development, but can have adverse effects if they are not addressed. Peer groups are capable of aiding children during this difficult period, but there are some peers that influence risky behaviors. The adolescent starts believing that if risky behavior is not harming their friends, then it will not harm them and some risk taking can lead to greater peer acceptance. One benefit would be that it can also help relieve the so-called maturity gap between physical and social maturity by mimicking adult behaviors, thereby affirming personal independence.
Famous High School Cliques When you look down an average high school hallway, you will see different groups or cliques. High school is a time where teenagers start to develop their individuality. For the most part we are afraid of being different and gravitate towards those who are similar to us. They group together by how much money they have, their interests and the clothes they wear. This is how cliques develop.
For some reason people do not become what they want to be, instead they become what they see other “popular” people as. Conformity is directly related to peer pressure. “Although people feel peer pressure their entire lives, young people who are seeking to define themselves are generally most influenced by the values and attitudes of their peers. Adolescents often encourage friends to do or try things that they themselves are doing in order to fit into to a group” (faqs.org). Conformity is not always negative.