PEER INFLUENCE ON
ADOLESCENTS
Risk & protective factors
Joanna
Rain
Amber
Ariel
Nana
Phoebe
Beryl
0931000017
0931000009
0931000018
0931000048
0931000013
0931000002
0931000015
OUTLINE
 Characteristics
of adolescents
 Risk & protective factors
 Peer influence on adolescents
 Two cases study
 Night drifting teens
 Compensated dating
 Reflection
 Conclusion
ADOLESCENTS’ DEVELOPMENT CHARACTERISTICS
Early 11—14 years of age
Peer focused
Development of abstract thinking
Focus on body image
Adaptation to puberty
Increased parental conflicts
Middle 14—16 years of age Development of morality
Sexual identity and sexual focus
Role experimentation
Decreasing parental conflicts
Late
17—21 years of age
Greater intimacy with others
Less peer influence
Development of vacation/college plans
Greater independence
— ‘Coping with Adolescence’ by Anne C. Petersen, 1991
RISK & PROTECTIVE FACTORS
Risk factors : these are negative influences in
the lives of adolescents, they may increase
probability of negative outcomes.
Protective factors (resilience) : these are positive
influences that improve the lives of
adolescents, they make adolescents stronger
and better able to counteract the risk factors.
Categories
RISK FACTORS
Risk factors
Social
Unstable SE (war, poverty); materialism & money
environme worship values; unhealthy community environment;
nt
presence neighborhood crime; unreasonably using
technology
Family
Low SES; Authoritarian parenting (strict rules),
uninvolved parenting (neglect); single parent
family; absence of parents; homeless; family
violence & abuse; lacking of communication
school
Physical punishment; the grade is supreme;
discriminate students; ignore the education of
values, norms, and sex; lack of psychological
counseling
peers
Bully & be bullied; negative norms and expectation;
no positive model ; antisocial behaviors;
inappropriate sexual activities ; benefit based
relationships
personal
low self-concept & esteem; negative emotions
&belief; egocentricity; poor study performance;
poor self-control, aggressive; low resilience
PROTECTIVE FACTORS
Categories
Protective factors
Social
Steady social environment; well functioned
environme community; availability of help services
nt
Family
Good SES; Good parenting skills; family cohesion,
warmth & support at least by one parent
School
Good study performance; participate school
activities; good adult models (teacher)
Peer
Caring and supporting peer group; positive peer
models; sharing the positive norms & value
Personal
Well-developed self-concept; positive attitudes &
beliefs; good social skills and coping skills;
dependency; sense of control; resilience
PEERS AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
Adolescents are at a point in their development
where they need to spend time with peers
Provides important information
that is usually not available within
the family
 A critical source for personal and
social competence development

— question values, discuss problems, share
information, and practice social skills, learn about
compassion and more
PEERS AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
(CONT.)
 Popularity
— keenly
sought after in
adolescence
 Either
very attractive or
very unattractive is a
determinant of social
acceptance or rejection
(Schneider, 2000)
PEERS AND ADOLESCENT
DEVELOPMENT
(CONT.)
 Peer
pressure and
conformity
“if the group is
doing it, it must be
good and right.”
 Positive
or neutral
 Negative – e.g.
lead to a loss of
individuality
CASE STUDY
Night
drifting teens
Compensated dating
NIGHT DRIFTING TEENS
Night drifting teens are often seen as youth
gangs or problem teenagers who hang out
outside in the night. They are usually at the
ages from 13 to 17, and most of them resist to
back to home after school.
COMPANIONS
 Companions
of night drifting youth:
 Over 90% are their friends and classmates,
only few of them drift with brothers/
sisters or other families.
 Peer system has significant influence to
night drifting youth.
PLACES & CONTENTS OF NIGHT
DRIFTING

Places：Nightclubs (夜店式)
Public Places(屋式)

Contents:
Positive: Chatting, Shopping,
Sleeping…
Negative: Drinking, Taking drugs,
Sexual harassment , Gambling,
Vandalism…
AGES OF FIRST NIGHT DRIFTING
AVERAGE AGES
REASONS OF NIGHT DRIFTING
Family
Influences
Strained
Family
Relationships
Peer
Influences
Night Drifting/
Leaving Home
Environment
Influences
Strained
School
Relationships
Lead
Negative Interact
Attract
Negative Influence
Risk Factors
Protective Factors
Social environment
•Poor relationship with
Family
•Few Understanding of
Night Drifting Teens
culture of parents
•Study weariness
•Poor relationship with
teaches and classmates
Deny the culture of
night drifting teens
•Care from family
members and teachers
and classmates
•Helps from social
workers
•Set up night activity
centers for teenagers
Personal
•Rebellious period(叛逆期) •Letting off
•Easy to be tempted,
appropriately (sports)
irritability
•Good at communicate
with peer
Peer Influence
•Instigated by peers
•Threatened by peers
•Set up positive
relationships with
peers
•More common topics
with peers
Enjo kōsai
Compensated Dating
援助交际
Definition
In Japan
“older
m e n g iv e m o ne y o r
luxury gifts to attractive women
for their companionship and,
possibly, for sexual favors.”
primarily school-aged girls to housewives.
“Compensated
dating”
Teenage girls now.
Labeled as a form of
child prostitution
money or luxury goods
sexual acts or other dating
activities
IN HONGKONG
a growing social
phenomenon
among teenage girls
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
unstable home life
a desire for material goods
do not think is prostitution
choose their client
Quit at anytime
each takes what he/she needs
The internet offers way
An interviewed girl in
H.K
Peer Influence
• many of her classmates were
doing it
• Became jealous
designer clothes, bags,
cosmetics
through compensated dating
• classmates introduced her to
Internet chat forums
A girl who engaged in
compensated dating
from 16 years old
The movie
《囡囡Girl》
Case of girl Gucci
Engage in compensated
dating through
Internet
Case Study
Client: Gucci, a 16 year-old Hong Kong girl
Related people:
Gucci’ elder brother:
Loves prostitution, low moral, loss job
Gucci’s classmate Caro:
Material goods desire, support prostitution
Friend Icy:
A on line bawd who finds the girls to sell sex
Friend Ronnie:
A compensate dating girl who give instruction to Gucci
Background:
•
•
•
•
Gucci , 16 year student
a middleclass Hong Kong family
loves the luxury brand “Gucci”
bid a limited-edition Gucci bag online cost
38,000HK
• Friends encourage her to sell her virgin online
• Meet more girls who engage in compensated dating
Risk and protective factors of girl
in compensated dating
Area
Risk factors
Protective
factors
Social
environment
• Middle income
• Quality school
family
• Full time
• Neglected by the
education
parent
• Prostitution spread
among teenagers
Personality
• Low self esteem
• Desire to material
goods
• Healthy values
Behavior
• Buy luxury goods
• Online chat with
prostitution
customer
• Attend to school
Area
Risk factors
Protective
factors
Peer
Influence
• Her brother
• Communicatio
support
n with friends
prostitution
• Friends advise
• Classmates Caro
her to think
love luxury goods
deeply and
• Classmates do
make decision
compensated
conservatively
dating
• Online friend
Ronnie teach her
to sell her virgin
• Meet other
prostitutes
Social pathology
Wrong values to be
learned
Harmful to society
Social disorder
Structural functionalism
Family as a vital social
unit
Cannot fulfill task
Dysfunction of
individuals
Conclusion
Safety issues of Enjo-kosai girls
Social workers’dilemma
Labeling of young night drifters