4. Impacts of Parents on the Adolescent’s Growing Self
The fact that most of parents do not easily let their children go has both positive and negative side. The positive side is that the adolescents
must strive and work harder to prove that they can be responsible in doing anything. While in the negative side, if parents hang on too
tightly, it can cause the adolescents struggling to be free. As Douvan and Adelson point out in the results of their study of a
large number of adolescents, either too much or too little involvement can inhabit the adolescent’s achievement of
independence. If parents are too little involved, the security necessary for self-direction is underdeveloped. On the other hand,
too much involvement may generate independency needs which interfere with the growth of autonomy.
47
5. Impacts of Peer Relationship on the Adolescent’s Growing Self
We may recall from our experiences that relationship to our age- mates become increasingly important during our adolescent years. In
those periods of time, we really needed friends to overlap with even sometimes we were in bad or hard condition.
There is little question about that the peer group has an enormous impact on an adolescent’s developing sense of self, why does the
adolescent peer culture succeed in having such and influence on the behavior and self attitudes of young people? Medinnus and Johnson
think it may be for some of the following reasons:
48
Because it is dangerous and exciting and it requires real skills; because it is not based on such things as class distinctions which
are contrary to our expressed-adult values system but not to our actual behavior; because it is based on the idea that the individual
should be judged in terms of personal attributes and accomplishments; because it is many ways more humane and
accepting individual differences than adult culture values; because
47
E. Douvan, J. Adelson, The Adolescent Experience New York: Wiley, 1996 p. 88.
48
G. R. Medinnus, R. C. Johnson, Child and Adolescents Psychology New York: Wiley, 1969, p. 709.
21
kit is concerned with expands self-awareness at a time with when people have few means of discovering themselves; because it is
against sham; and because it fulfills the needs of young people better than does adult culture.
Ausubel has listed seven basics functions the peer group serves during adolescence.
49
In some what modified form, in view of research which has appeared since Ausubel wrote, these functions are as follow:
a. A replacement of family
b. A stabilizing influence
c. A source of self-esteem
d. A source for behavioral standards
e. There is security in numbers
f. Opportunities for practice by doing
g. Opportunities for modeling
6. Personality Development
Kategori