Value Socialization and Peer Group Affiliation among Early Adolescents

This study examined parental influence on the values of early adolescents and the influence of adolescents’ values on their choice of friends. The degree to which early adolescents identified with their parents and the parents’ endorsement of two measures of conventional values were found to predict adolescents’ endorsement of conventional values. In turn, adolescents who endorsed values oriented toward altruism were less likely to report association with friends who had been involved in deviant behavior. Endorsing values oriented toward success and affluence did not reduce adolescents’ reports of friendships with peers who had been involved in deviant activities. The results suggest the importance of considering types of values when investigating value influence on adolescent behavior. They also suggest that values indirectly affect adolescent behavior by influencing peer group affiliation.