Boarding School, Troubled Teen, Struggling Teen-ADOLESCENT CRISIS TEAM

TIPS

Ask the program representative about their experience and treatment philosophies, if you do not agree you may not want to go any further with them. If you cannot support the programs ideas you, your child and the program will be in for long, frustrating process without the desired outcome.

Peer Pressure
The peer group is critical to an adolescent's healthy emotional development and it doesn't take an Einstein to realize that teenagers prefer each other's company to that of their parents. Although this is a normal and expected part of growing up, parents can still feel a sense of rejection and loss as the child who used to love to bake cookies with Mom or toss around a baseball with Dad now prefers to spend every free minute with friends.
Friends provide a sense of security. Feeling part of a group gives teens the confidence to move from childlike dependence upon parents to a more interdependent relationship, an important task of adolescence. Belonging to a group of friends also helps teens as they're developing their, as yet, fragile sense of identity. They can be confused and anxious as they ponder questions like Who am I? and What do I want out of life? Feeling a part of a group, be it the jocks, the goths, or the punks, allows them to feel like they are on their way to answering some of these unsettling questions, at least in part.
Friends are also important as models of new skills and social behaviors, some good and some not so good. Teenagers learn about what's acceptable in their social group by "reading" their friends' reactions to how they act, what they wear, and what they say. The peer group gives this powerful feedback by their words and actions and so either encourages or discourages certain behaviors and attitudes.(www.tipsonteens.org)
Peer pressure is one of the most potent forces in a child's life, but influence is often subtle. The child may not even realize she's being pressured. And not only from peers: positive and negative pressures also come from parents, teachers and the media.
Adolescent/teenagers submit to peer pressure for many reasons:

To get a sense of acceptance and belonging
To get recognition
To look mature
To have fun
Negative peer pressure happens when the child's friends ask him, or otherwise try to influence him/her, to do something he knows is wrong. The child doesn't want to say "no" because:

He doesn't want to be left out
He doesn't want to seem like a "goody-goody"
He doesn't want to lose friends
He's afraid they'll tease him and spread rumors around school(www.akronchildrens.org)

If you feel that your adolescent/teenager has a hard time to deal with peer pressure, please fill out our Request Information Form.

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Disclaimer: Adolescent Crisis Team is not responsible for the contents of any pages outside our control. Information contained in Adolescent Crisis Team Services or on any linked sites is not intended as medical advice. Its intent is solely informational and educational. The information is not a substitute for talking with your health professional. Readers are advised to exercise their own further informed review, judgment, and evaluation in the selection of any and all programs, services, and health information.