Parental vs. Peer Influence on Adolescent Behavior

Paper Summary:

This paper aims to show that, while there are limits on what parents can do, parents can play a key role in their children?s future by helping them deal with the struggle against antagonistic peer groups and a hostile culture. In an effort to demonstrate this role, the paper looks at how much influence a parent has on adolescent behavior and, if the parents loses influence at some point, whether the amount of time parents spend with their children can affect the children's ability to be influenced by peers or whether peers are more influential than parents. Also discussed are ways that parents can regain control of a child who has gotten out of control due to negative peer influences.

From the Paper:

"While many psychologists believe that parents are the chief influence on the self-esteem and behavior of adolescents, arguing that a lack of both personal responsibility and parental control as the root causes of anti-social behavior, many other believe that society and the influence of peers, more so than parents, shapes the lives of adolescents.
According to author Judith Rich Harris (Tyron, 1999): "There is a great deal of evidence that the differences in how parents rear their children are not responsible for the differences among the children.'' She adds that there is a limit to what parents can do: how their child turns out is largely out of their hands."

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