ABSTRACT
Social scientists, educators, and parents have long been interested in youth friendships and the peer environment as an important context for the social and psychological development of adolescents. As adolescents strive for autonomy and independence, they loosen their bonds with parents and enjoy the equality and reciprocity achieved in relationships with people their own age. The peer group becomes a resource that helps young people master age-graded tasks. Teenagers attach increasing importance to friendships and peer group relationships, especially during early adolescence, and grow more receptive to peer influence. Peers may provide crucial information or contacts to help youth negotiate the social world, reinforce values and norms of behavior, and promote trustworthiness and obligations in reciprocal relations.
