Introduction	Peer Pressure	Drugs and Alcohol
Sexual Behaviors	References	Main Page

 
 

Introduction:     Moral development takes place throughout the periods of childhood and adolescence; however, during adolescence, teens begin to question the morals of their parents. According to the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, morals are defined as "conforming to a standard of right behavior". The concepts morals and values are related in the sense that values determine what behaviors will be portrayed in social settings and morals determine where a behavior is acceptable or unacceptable within a particular culture. Values are defined as principles, standards, or qualities that are considered to be worthwhile or desirable, such as gaining respect from others. Parents or parental figures such as guardians instill values in their children “to establish a philosophy of life or belief systems” (Goff, 1999). As children make the transition from childhood to adolescence they begin to search for a social identity, which leads to changes in their belief systems. Social identity is found within peer groups and social pressures of everyday living. In this research summary information on how peer pressure affect the development of values and how certain behaviors evolved into moral issues.

Peer Pressure:

During adolescence, teens desire to belong to peer groups. Some youth willingly conform to the ways of a specific peer group while others are pressured into the group's norm. Peer pressure is defined as "when people of your own age encourage you to do something or to keep from doing something else, no matter if you personally want to or not" (Santor et al, 2000 as cited in Brown, 1986 p. 522). Whereas conformity is defined as changing one's behavior to fit into a group or develop popularity. For example, a female that dresses provocative to receive attention from men, is changing her dress style to become known among men. In contrast, a female that is urge by men to have sex with them is being pressured to engage in a specific behavior. Often adolescents, conform to a group's desires and interests and are pressured to participate in certain behaviors. Common pressures are 

• the use of alcohol and/or drugs,
• engaging in sexual and delinquent behaviors.

The values that parents have instilled in their children are challenged in peer groups. Often adolescents must decide, under pressure, between upholding their parents' standards of living or that of the group. For example, an adolescent that wants to join a gang that believes that going to school is wasteful but have parents that believe getting his/her high school diploma is must, is face with making a tough decision. He or she must decide which standard of living is more worthwhile. The principle that is adopted is usually reinforced through adolescents interaction with their peers. As the behaviors are reinforced, adolescents begin to develop values and morals. 
 
 

Not only is the initiation of drug and alcohol use related to peer pressure, but also to the level of consumption and prevalent use of it by adolescents. Furthermore, alcohol use is associated with teens involvement in delinquent acts such as damaging property, stealing, and fighting. In Newcomb and McGee longitudinal study on alcohol use and delinquency, "91% of high schools studied tried alcohol at least once in their life, 62% of the girl and 69% of the boys used alcohol in the past month, 28% of the girls and 46% of the boys consumed at least five or more drinks at least once in the preceding two weeks, and ... 8% of the students reported drinking daily during the past month" (1989, p.346). Although there is a difference in the percentage of females and males drinking alcohol, no difference exist in the use of hard liquor. Girls are heavy users of wine, whereas boys are heavy users of beer. (Newcomb & McGee, 1989) Similar results were reported in a study conducted by Robert and Johnson (1996). 

Given that the use of drugs and alcohol among adolescents contributes to involvement in delinquent behavior, created a moral issue. Adolescents as well as adults must think about the consequences that are associated with using or abusing substances. Not all adolescents will consider every pro and con related to drinking and using drugs, but  most, if not all, will think about benefits of substance use. Most adolescents drink alcohol and use drugs to conform to the norm of a specific group. However, it is vital that adolescents truly ponder about the consequences of drinking irresponsibly. Hopefully, in the future all adolescents will understand that heavy drinking is not the best or wisest behavior to participate in. 
 

 Although the initiation of sexual experimentation can be a result of peer pressure, the characteristics of the individual and the community in which he or she lives has a major affect on the latter. (Rosenbaum & Kandel, 1990)  Communities' resources such as sex education, availability of contraceptives, suitable partners, and advancement in society, affect adolescent onset and prevalence of sexual behavior. (Billy et al, 1994)  In addition, adolescents are usually raised in homes where premarital sex is accepted or banned. However, some adolescents may have grown-up in homes where sexual behavior was never talked about or given much thought. In other words, if adolescents desire to or do not want to engage in sexual intercourse their parents are okay with it. 

Adolescents' involvement in sexual behaviors have not always been a nationwide issue, but now it is.  The rate of females between the ages of 15 and 19 experiencing sexual intercourse, having unprotective sex, and giving birth to babies out of wedlock has increased.  Not only has this increase caused social and political problems to arise, but also moral issues. Early childbearing results in negative consequences for both the mother and the baby.  For example, a 15 years old female gives birth to a baby without a job, which means she does not have medical insurance and she cannot provide material goods for the baby. Now, the questions that other adolescents must ask themselves are, is premarital sex acceptable or banned and are there negative consequences associated with having sexual intercourse? If adolescents ponder about those questions, they will probably begin to understand that becoming involved in sexual behavior is more than just desiring to fit into the norm. However, adolescents must be educated about the negative consequences of engaging in sexual intercourse and how to keep themselves safe from those consequences. (Rosenbaum & Kandel, 1990

References:

• Billy, J.O.G.; Brewster; K.L.; & Grady, W.R. (1994). Contextual effects on the sexual behavior of adolescent women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56, 378-404.
• Goddard, H.W. & Goff, B.G. (1999). Terminal core values associated with adolescent problem behavior, Adolescence, 34,47-60.
• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, online: www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary
• Newcomb, M.D. & McGee, L. (1989). Adolescent alcohol use and other delinquent behaviors: A one year longitudinal analysis controlling for sensation seeking. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 16 (3), 345-369.
• Rosenbaum, E. & Kandel, D. B. (1990). Early onset of adolescent sexual behavior and drug involvement. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 783-798.
• Santor, D.A., Messervery, D., & Kusumakar, V. (2000). Measuring peer pressure, popularity, and conformity in adolescent boys and girls: Predicting school performance, sexual attitudes, and substance abuse. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 29,163-182.