Caller is the quiet one amongst her friends and feels as if they trample all over her and boss her around. She is scared that if she speaks up for herself they won t like her. Although the influence of peers increases with age, most research shows that this influence is situation specific. Peers provide adolescents with a reference group for information and also with opportunities to explore new roles. Dating, social events, types of dress, drinking, drug use, sport, and hobbies all take place largely in the company of age mates.
Peers are a critical part of the adolescent s transition to independence outside of the family.
As such, issues of friendship consistently receive high ratings of importance from teenagers. Parents are more typically consulted for important decisions such as educational or occupational plans. Caller concerned for a friend who has become increasingly angry and violent since his parent s separation. The graph below details this trend. Almost two-thirds of callers are from metropolitan areas, with the remainder from regional Australia.