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In sociology, a peer group is both a social group and a primary group of people who have similar interests , age, background, or social status. Members of peer groups are likely to influence each others' beliefs and behaviour. [1] During adolescence, peer groups tend to face dramatic changes.
During late adolescence, the organized clique structure typically dissolves into associated sets of couples, which then remain the primary social unit into and throughout adulthood. [1] Cliques are different from other types of peer groups often seen in the average school, which are often reputation-based groups such as jocks or nerds.
Crowds serve an essential purpose in adolescent identity development, shaping individual values, behavior, and personal and peer expectations. "[One's group] is often tantamount to one's own provisional identity;" [9] the individual defines herself by the crowd she sees herself fitting into. Different crowds expose the individual to different ...
During adolescence, children increasingly form peer groups, often with a common interest or values (e.g., "skaters," "jocks"), that are somewhat insular in nature (e.g., "cliques" or "crowds"). Theoretically, peer groups have been hypothesized to serve as an intermediary support source as adolescents exert independence from their family. [31]
Peer groups are essential to social and general development. Communication with peers increases significantly during adolescence and peer relationships become more intense than in other stages [152] and more influential to the teen, affecting both the decisions and choices being made. [153]
In this transitory state, dependence on the peer group serves as a stand-in for parents. [10] Burlingame restated this hypothesis in 1970. He wrote that adolescents replace parents with the peer group and that this reliance on the peer group diminishes as youth enter adulthood and take on adult roles. [11]
Because peer relations are so essential to developing identity and intimacy, the normal psychosocial maturation of unpopular adolescents lags behind their peers. Attempts to "catch up" by reentry into the dominant network of peer groups are then likely to fail and result in even greater rejection.
An informal clique may consist of a person's friend group or co-workers while also identifying other more informal groups, such as criminal gangs. [12] On the other hand, a formal clique is a group with a socially accepted organization that is hierarchical in structure. A formal clique is composed of members who have identifiable roles and ...