Why friendship is important to teenagers
PEER relationships are critical to teens. Friendships provide teens with opportunities to develop conflict resolution skills. Teens can learn how to end a fight and still remain friends. Friends provide fun and excitement for teens through companionship and recreation.
Friends also give advice to one another. Teens talk through lots of issues and problems with their friends. Loyalty is a valued trait in friendship. Teens are looking for loyal allies that can help them out at school or in their own neighbourhood.
Friendships also provide stability during times of stress or transition. It is helpful to teens to have a friend who is going through the same situations and can ease the anxieties of the times.
What happens when youth do not have friends? Teens without friends tend to be more lonely and unhappy. They tend to have lower levels of academic achievement and lower self esteem. As they get older, they are more apt to drop out of school and to get involved in delinquent activities.
Friendships change as youth move into their teen years.
●Teens tend to spend more time with their peers.
●They are also more mobile than when younger so more time is spent with peers without parental supervision.
●During the teen years, there will be increased contact with oppositesex peers.
●In the early teen years, often small groups of friends or cliques are formed which help to boost their confidence and give them a sense of identity.
●Another feature of the teen years is the emergence of crowds. These are large groups of teens who gather together because they have characteristics that identify them with a particular crowd. Teens use crowds to figure out who to associate with. Crowds help teens sort peers into groups of people they would like to spend time with and those they would not. Through crowds and cliques, teens show other people who they are.
As parents, it is important to encourage friendships among teens. However, it is vital to know who your teen’s friends are and to communicate openly about changes in peer relationships and friendships with your teens.