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The Outsize Influence of Your Middle-School Friends
The Peer Effect
Teenagers and adolescents are more likely to behave recklessly, do something stupid, or commit crimes when they are together.
Breaking the law or trying out drugs/alcohol is also done more often in the company of friends and schoolmates. This is known as the Peer Effect.
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Key Ideas
Vulnerable Time for Kids
A child's pre-teen and teen years are a high-emotion transitory period. This is due to shifting classmates, social pressure, multiple classrooms and a period of many 'firsts'.
Deep Friendships
A study on sixth-graders revealed that friendship is crucial and real for kids, and can be as deep as a parental relationship.
Most parents and teachers do not understand the importance of deep bonding among friends at school and tend to regard friendships as a distraction or a nuisance.
Social Isolation and Bullying
Social isolation is the dark side of the school, in which many kids with no friends are at risk of anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. There is a perceived sense of threat with being friendless, and the young, immature mind can deeply internalize the resulting difficulties, leading to depression.
Bullying at this age is also a major problem, with those who are socially isolated becoming the most vulnerable to being bullied.
The Peer Effect
Teenagers and adolescents are more likely to behave recklessly, do something stupid, or commit crimes when they are together.
Breaking the law or trying out drugs/alcohol is also done more often in the company of friends and schoolmates. This is known as the Peer Effect.
Social Buffering
Social Buffering is a phenomenon where just the act of being together in a group, just the mere presence, lowers the anxiety and stress levels of teens.
It is a positive and protective effect of one individual on another.
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Smartphones and Social Media
Across age groups, social media is potentially hazardous, with its tendency to amplify the social divide.
There is a strong relationship between anxiety/depression and the use of smartphones, particularly social media usage among kids, though the data also seem to show the positive effects of staying connected with their peers. Online distractions also make youngsters give up their offline life, leading to isolation and further depression.
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Purpose Is Essential
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Experiencing Adversity
Individuals who experience adversity at an early age have a decreased sense of purpose according to research.
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Experiencing Conflict
Relationship issues with parents lead to a decreased sense of purpose as the young person grows older.
Frequently fighting or arguing with parents drains the child's energy and enthusiasm.
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Oxytocin and attachment
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