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FRIENDS’ INFLUENCE AND PEER PRESSURE |
Risky behavior |
Peer pressure or, more accurately, “friends’ influence,” encourages and discourages high-risk behavior depending on the group of friends and their values and beliefs. There is a correlation in rates of drug use, smoking, and alcohol use between friends, but this should not be confused with causation. Arnett calls this selective association and notes that this correlation “might be partly or even entirely because they have selected each other as friends on the basis of similarities they have in common, not because they have influenced each other in their risk behavior” (235). |
Support and nurturance |
Friends provide four types of support for one another:
Informational support: help solving personal problems through advice and guidance.
Instrumental support: help with tasks such as homework, money, etc.
Companionship support: friends are companions they can rely on to do things with, such as go to dances or eat lunch together.
Esteem support: telling each other that they have done well, complimenting one another.
 
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Teen suicide is a real issue. Click here to read one girl’s story.
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