Personality development of the adolescent: Peer group versus parents

Abstract

The aim was firstly to determine if peers and parents had a different impact on the personality development of the adolescent. A second aim was to determine if gender played a role in this regard. An empirical investigation was carried out involving 98 learners from Grades 8 to 11 (53 boys and 55 girls). The respondents complete d instrume nts measuring parent-c hild relationship, rel ationship with peers, se lf-concept, and personality characteristics. The results indicated that the peer group, when compared with parents, had a stronger rel ationship with the personality development of the adolescent. T his stronger rel ationship was more prominent in boys than in girls. Gender did, therefore, play a role.