Introduction
The development of an individual highly relies on factors that originate from the surrounding environment. According to Vygotsky’s social development theory, the environment around an individual determines his/her physical and mental development especially through social interaction (Lightbrown and Spada, 2006).
Therefore, the influence that an individual receives from his/her peers and other individuals within a given social setting will ultimately influence the development of his/her character. Therefore, positive peer interaction is usually advocated for during the middle childhood and adolescent stages of development to ensure that an individual develops a character that is socially and morally acceptable (Berger, 2008).
Studies that have specifically focused on the middle childhood stage of development have revealed that peer interaction, friendship, and acceptance are critical factors that determine the level of development in an individual. However, during the adolescent stage, individuals tend to develop an egocentric behavior where they only think about themselves and how other people perceive them. This phenomenon brings about conflicting interests with their school, family members, friends, and future aspirations.
While reacting to these conflicting ideas, adolescents tend to become rebellious and their level of motivation highly declines hence increasing their chances of becoming victims of peer pressure and drug and substance abuse. This paper will thus expound on the relationships an individual faces during middle childhood and adolescence, examine the concept of adolescent egocentrism, and finally focus on the pressure faced by adolescents.
Relationships during Middle Childhood and Adolescence
A child starts to develop a relationship with the people who surround him/her from birth. However, this relationship gradually changes as the child develops. By middle childhood, an individual starts to develop preferences especially in peer relationships.
According to Oak (2000), children tend to interact more and develop friendships with peers of the same gender who they have the similar interests and share a relatively similar background. Consequently, the acceptance into a peer group is important. However, for a child to avoid engaging into delinquent behaviors, he/she should develop positive a friendship with his/her peers. Finally, children tend to be egocentric at this stage. They thus tend to compete with their peers on grounds such as classroom grades.
As individuals progress into the adolescent stage, they usually experience progressive changes in their relationship. Peer relationships, for instance, dominate the relationship of individuals at this stage. The groups that adolescents form at this stage also comprise of members who share similar interests.
However, unlike in the middle childhood stage where the peer groups mainly had same sex members, inter gender relationships usually develop at this stage. It is during adolescence that people start dating and to some extent, engage in sexual activity (Blume, 2006). Egocentrism is usually common at this stage especially because image and identity plays a significant role in the cognitive development of an individual by influencing their self-concept, psychological, and emotional traits.
It is common for an individual to change friends at this stage due to the image factor but the friendships that are developed at this stage might also last for an extended period of time into adulthood. Peer influence at this stage is also strong but with greater consequences as compared to the prior stage since a negative influence might lead to activities such as drug and substance abuse, violence, crime, and so on. The acceptance of an individual into these peer groups also has a lot of emotional and psychological significance.
Being left out of these groups usually diminishes the self-esteem of an individual leading to adverse effects that are mainly characterized by a rebellious character. Therefore, parents are usually advised to maintain close relationships with their adolescent children to motivate and encourage as a means of shaping their behaviors into morally accepted characters and to build their self-esteem (Oak, 2000).
Egocentrism in Adolescents
Egocentrism starts from childhood and develops into adolescence. During the adolescent stage however, egocentrism develops from the challenges and thoughts of an individual’s self-evaluation. This usually occurs when adolescents modify their thoughts and perceptions in the process of developing their identities. Through self-absorption, adolescents undergo a period in life where they develop their identity and sharpen their process of decision-making. According to Berger (2008), egocentrism during adolescence has two components:
- The imaginary audience
- Personal fable
The imaginary audience usually develops when the subject develops thoughts
about his/her personality and tries to comprehend what other people think about him/her. As a result of these thoughts, adolescents tend to become self-conscious. In the process, they usually become consumed with their thoughts and ideologies. This process is so strong that adolescents believe that other people whom they share a common relationship with (friends, schoolmates, family members, and so on) should also believe in similar ideologies and concepts.
On the other hand, the personal fable compliments the ideologies that adolescents had developed through the imaginary audience phase by making them believe that they are special or unique. Due to the exaggerations of their beliefs and ideologies, such individuals develop the notion that they cannot become victims of unfortunate circumstances of the world.
This therefore explains why adolescents engage in risky activities such as crime, unprotected sex, and disobeying the law for males while females have additional characteristics such as obsession with their looks and weight. Adolescents believe that the resultant image of these activities make them to be considered as great individuals especially among their peers (Berger, 2008).
Pressures that Adolescents Face
Given the environment that surrounds them, their ideologies, and their characters, adolescents usually face a number of pressures in the process of development and transition into adulthood. Examples of the pressure that adolescents face include:
- Sexuality and dating
- Drug and substance abuse
- Peer pressure
- Family issues
According to Oak (2000), the major challenge that adolescents face is to make the decision between what they are expected to do (what is considered morally right by the society) and what they want to do at this stage. Making this decision is usually challenging hence bringing about an immense pressure within adolescents. For instance, two teenagers might engage in sex. This situation might end up being fun for both parties if they both agreed to engage in the act.
However, there might be instances where one of them might not support the idea hence turning the incident into rape. In adverse situations, the girl could end up being pregnant and contracting a sexually transmitted disease such as gonorrhea, syphilis, or HIV. It is also during this stage that individuals realize their sexuality. It would thus be difficult for a homosexual adolescent to come present himself/herself to his/her family or the society especially if homosexuality is has not been accepted as a norm.
An adolescent might also face a lot of pressure while trying to fit in a group. At this stage, it is considered ‘cool’ among peers if a girl is a member of the most beautiful girls in school or the cheerleading squad. Failure to become a member of these groups might have serious self-esteem damage to the individual.
On the other hand, male adolescents might join gangs that usually require them to commit an act of crime as an initiation process. Many teenagers have been arrested and sentenced due to such acts hence losing an essential stage of their life.
Divorce, domestic violence, death of a parent, poverty, or low income might are some of the family issues that have immense pressure on an adolescent. To overcome this pressure, adolescents usually seek support and advice from their peers.
Due to their vulnerability, they might easily be recruited into gangs or become addicts of different substances as a means of trying to get away from reality by being high. Some adolescent usually develop violent behavior due to the stress and tension that comes about as a result of conflicts within the family. In some rare cases, adolescents have ended up killing their parents or killing themselves as a means of overcoming such pressure.
Conclusion
During middle childhood, friendship plays a significant role in the development of an individual. In adolescents, peer influence is also critical but with dire consequences. Individuals are also conscious about their identity and behavior. Finally, given the fact that adolescents face a lot of pressure, it is advised that they receive positive guidance and support from family members, peers, and reputable individuals and institutions within the society to ensure that they develop into sensible adults.
References
Blume, L.B. (2006). Childhood Development. Journal of Human Behaviour, 2(1), 14-22. Berger, K. S. (2008). The developing person through the life span. New York: Worth Publishers.
Lightbrown, P. and Spada, N. (2006). How languages are learned. New York. Oxford University Press.
Oak, M. (2000). Negative and Positive Effects of Peer Pressure. Retrieved from https://aptparenting.com/negative-positive-effects-of-peer-pressure