14 DAY TRIAL // Even if they do not listen to their parents, teens do have their boundaries, and experts have now discovered that they come from peers and friends. However, teens are very likely to overestimate the amount of freedom and independence other get, thus triggering a vicious circle.
According to researchers, the tendency to overestimate comes normally for the teens, but this doesn't make it less dangerous. Misinterpreting others' freedoms can lead teens into a spiral of decisions that may have unwanted outcomes, such as imprisonment or pregnancy.
At the same time, scientists say, it's absolutely normal for young adults to test their own boundaries of personal authority. This is one of the most important stages of life, that determines how a person will act and behave in general for the remainder of their lives.
Establishing the areas in which teens want the most autonomy from their parents or others is also a vital, and one that cannot be completed without a little help from friends. The conclusions belong to a study published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Child Development.
In order to determine the root causes of teens' behaviors, experts conducted two studies. In the first one, they surveyed teens from 6th to 9th grades. Some 500 participants were included in this test, which extended until they were all in 12th grade.
In the second study, 6th and 7th graders were followed a year later. In both investigations, peers were found to be used as gages by each teen, in order to clearly establish their boundaries. It was also found that younger boys and girls wanted autonomy more than their older peers.
At the same time, researchers found, teens were consistently convinced that each of their peers had more freedoms and autonomy than they did, and therefore adjusted their behavior accordingly.
“The findings help illuminate sources of individual differences among teens in their development of autonomy. Although all teens’ decision-making autonomy increases, their experiences differ in when and how they develop that autonomy,” explains Dr. Christopher Daddis.
“Practically speaking, it’s important for parents to understand that their children don’t have explicit guidelines that define the appropriate pacing of developing autonomy, but often rely on peers of the same age to gauge their own requests for additional freedoms,” the expert goes on to say.
Daddis holds an appointment as an assistant professor of psychology at the Ohio State University, PsychCentral reports.