EXTRME PEER ORIENTATION IN CHILDREN In essay “Hold on to your kids” authors Neufeld and Mate describes the problem of lack of parent child attachment and the risks of peer orientation. As a transitional period in children’s development, teenagers show significant changes in relationship with their parents and peers. Peer orientation is a natural phenomena and also quiet beneficial for children. But one question arises here, Is the extreme peer orientation has positive or negative influence on children? This essay will throw some light on potential effects of excessive peer orientation.
An extreme orientation toward peers may lead to detachment from parents. Children start rejecting parental authority; this creates more distant and less compatibility between children and their parents. Children are more likely to share their secrets with peer group and seek advice from friends rather than parents. They are notoriously loyal to one another and to their group. Loyalty is so intense that they keep each other’s secrets, take each other’s side. For instance “The death of Reena Virk, a teenager in Victoria, killed by her peers, was known by many adolescents but no adult was told about it for several days-an incident that become famous internationally”. Since, children spend more time with peers; It lessens the amount of time spend with their parents and other family members. Thus, it can result in less closeness and cohesions with one another.
Moreover, adolescent brain research has shown that brain region responsible to control risk taking drive and to understand the consequences of the action are underdeveloped in children. So, teens more often respond to impulses rather than thinking practically. Therefore, teens have very strong desire to be accepted by peers which makes them more susceptible to indulge in risk taking activities. Usually, such children show antisocial behavior like alcohol consumption, gang activity, stealing, and drug abuse. “A study conducted at National Institute of Health found that teens are more like to engage in risk driving behavior such as speeding when accompanied by same gendered teens in car”. They do so to impress the peer group. They belief that doing such things makes them cool and powerful; usually driven by cool factor or intimitation factor.
A long term effect of such behavior can result into severely negligent conduct and lower academic success. They get too much involved in their peer groups that they willingly skip classes, don’t do homework, and break school’s rules. They are pleased to sacrifice developmentally positive aspects of their lives in order to make and keep friends. As a consequence there is poorer adjustment at high school, in turn, leading to academic difficulties and less success in life.
Though an excessive attachment to peers at the expense of parents during early adolescence may have negative implications. But, it may also have positive implications if children find in the peer group what was lacking in their relationship with parents. If one