To allow and elicit student discussion and interaction about parent and peer influences.

OVERVIEW

LEADER PREPARATION

• Prepare survey questions (see: group building). Obtain paper, pencil, and survey for each person.
• Obtain clips from the a television show or movie that depict parent-child discussions, peer-peer discussions, and possibly conflict between the two sources of influence.
• Secure the use of a TV and VCR.

For the survey, list about fifteen common situations in which kids must make decisions (i.e., money, job, education, dating, and entertainment). The question: If you had to decide between your friends’ and your parents’ opinions in each of the situations, whose opinion would you consider more important? (A sample survey is found in Sebald. [1984]. Adolescence: A social psychological analysis [p. 231], Prentice-Hall, Inc.)

GROUP BUILDING

On one piece of paper, ask kids to answer the question, "Whose opinions are important to you personally?" They may list as many influences as they wish; they should then rank their answers in order of importance. On another piece of paper, ask the kids to fill out the survey questionnaire. Review answers to the first question (ranked listed of influences) while a leader tallies the survey responses.

GROUP PRESENTATION

Show television or movie scenes of parent-child discussions, peer-peer discussions, and conflict between the two sources of influence.

GROUP DISCUSSION

Discuss these questions about each the TV or movie samples. Modify as necessary:

• How did you feel about the clip?
• In what areas can you relate to the parent? To the young person?
• What is it like in your house?
• How realistic is the scene?
• Why is it important to talk with both parents and friends?
• What characteristics of your parents allow you to approach them with problems or decisions? What qualities make it hard for you to talk to them? What about your friends?

Discuss the findings of the informal group survey. Ask the following and modify as appropriate:

• In what kinds of situations do most kids ask their parents for advice and/or an opinion?
• Which situations cause the most conflict in your family? With your friends?
• What do you do in situations in which your parents’ and friends’ advice conflict with each other?
• In which situations do you ask for no one’s opinion? Why?

WRAP-UP

Everyone relies on the experience and advice of different reference groups and significant others. It is important to identify those people who influence one’s values and decision making. It is important to know that people should have more than one reference group, and that different situations and decisions may call for the advice of different reference groups. Everyone needs balance.

One should develop trusting relationships with parents, friends, and significant others so that he or she will have someone to help him or her when making decisions.

EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP

This discussion could be a starting point to many other related topics, including families, parent-teen communication, communication skills, and peer pressure. This topic may affect young people differently, depending on their particular family situation and relationships. It would be important to be sensitive to those who appear distraught; perhaps, meet with them individually for follow-up.

This session can be used in different ways: with youth alone, parents alone, or in a combined group.

IMPLICATIONS