Peer Relationships & Moral Development

Moral Development
Important aspects of moral development during adolescence are: moral internalization, moral construction, and self-control. Children at this age must rely on these skills in order to make good decisions. Adolescents face moral dilemmas daily that require decision and action. Repeated exposure to such experiences and the corresponding outcomes increases their skillset in all aspects of moral development. It also increases in a direction correlation with peer relationships as young teens experiment with various roles and relationships, Moral Internalization This is the process of referring to basic social standards when making decisions or reactions. These become internalized during adolescences. Children at this age begin to reflect on social norms and values when responding to social interactions and moral dilemmas. Moral Construction During this stage of development, young teens begin to focus on rewards, punishment, the power of authority figures and social standards when responding to moral experiences. Only towards the end of adolescences moral reasoning begins to reflect empathic feelings and abstract values.

Vocabulary
Peer Culture: The social values and norms for behavior that different groups of adolescents share.
Peer Pressure: The influence peers have on each others attitudes and behaviors. Socialization: The process by which attitudes and behaviors are modeled and reinforced. Cliques: Small peer group in which acceptance is based on specific standards. Cliques allow adolescents to practice forming and maintaining deep relationships. Crowds: Larger less organized peer groups. Crowds allow adolescents to explore new identities and meet new people. They are reputation based and are determined by attitudes, attributes and activities.

Self Control
Leading up to adolescences children begin to learn selfcontrol when speaking and acting. Young teens further develop this skill and begin to apply it to moral and social issues. They begin to understand what strategies are effective. Youth will benefit from adult modeling and guidance. 2

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Peer Relationships
In middle school, the percentage of a childs social interactions involving peers increases as compared to early childhood development. During adolescence, children interact more deliberately with their peers, and being to create sustainable friendships. Children at this age become increasingly concerned about acceptance and rejection amongst their peers. During adolescence, a childs greatest desire is to be together with their friends, as well as being accepted and enjoyed by their peers. As children move through adolescences, they begin to view their peer group as more important than family. Children at this age will seek advice from their friends before reaching out to parents, teachers or school officials.

Tips For Educators in Middle Schools

Make an effort to not confront adolescents in front of their peer groups, as they embarrass easily.
Provide a private physical space for confronting behaviors. Provide appropriate time for a student at this age to chill out or cool down.

Cliques vs. Crowds

Cliques are relatively small peer groups that determine acceptance based on specific standards. Females at this age are more likely to form cliques earlier than males, although cliques can provide a stable emotional-social environment for both genders throughout adolescence. Cliques form close relationships and allow children at this age to practice forming and maintaining deep relationships. Crowds are larger, less organized peer groups, and are more prominent in early adolescences. Crowds allow children to explore new identities and meet new people. Crowds are reputationbased, and are determined by attitudes, attributes or activities. Some common crowds can include: athletes, brains, partyers, band kids, etc. Cliques and crowds play an important role in defining adolescents identity, self-esteem and self worth. 3

Maintain a balance between allowing cliques or crowds to work out their own conflicts and providing direction mediation.
Plan structured time for students to actively work in peer groups, allowing for appropriate & productive socialization.