PEER CULTURE

/peer/ /cul.ure/

n.noun

A peer group is both a social group and a primary group of people who have similar interests, age, background, and social status. The members of this group are likely to influence each other’s core belief system and behaviors. Peer groups contain hierarchies and distinct patterns of behavior. For example, 18-year-olds usually don’t associate with 14-year-olds even though they may be in school together. Additionally, teachers do not share students as a peer group.

During adolescence, teenagers start to drift away from their relationship with parents and family, and instead, prefer to spend their time with other adolescents. Teens attempt to find and be a part of a peer culture that will understand them and take them in. Sometimes teens are so desperate to be accepted by a group of peers, that they join a negative peer group, in spite of that groups poor choices and unfruitful behaviors.

Due to the great influence a culture of peers has on a teenage boy or girl, it is pivotal, for the sake of their prospective future, to choose to associate with supportive, positive influences. If a teen aspires to achieve any level of success, it is imperative for them to choose to be a part of a peer culture that supports and nurtures their aspirations. This kind of peer culture can be a key factor in a teen’s foundation of success.