Peer versus parental influences on adolescents: A comparative analyses

This paper deals with question regarding the relative influence of peers and parents on the developmental outcomes and behavioural patterns of children and adolescents. Although, both the_ factors play very significant roles in determining the behavioural patterns of children and adolescents, yet at present it is pleaded by several researchers that the children and adolescents are relatively more impacted by their peers and friends as compared to their parents as regards their behavioural patterns and orientation in life, choices, future planning and decision making etc. The peer company is assumed to provide affectionate opportunities to the children and adolescents for acquiring various social, cultural and emotional behavioural patterns, which certainly impact their adjustment, social skills, and future orientation more strongly than the parental contexts. But, in many cases, children if exposed to undesirable peer contexts, it may incite them for forming bad habits like smoking, use of drugs and juvenile tendencies etc. If so, it will need to be handled very carefully and affectionately to protect their future from undesirable elements. Some neurobiological evidences are also cited in this paper indicating what happens in the cortex of children when they are enjoying the company of the peers and friends as compared to the company of parents. Thus, this paper reviews the relative influences of peers and parents on the children and adolescents in the light of empirical and neurobiological evidences. Additionally, the implications of the paper and limitations as well as the suggestions future research are also underlined.