Why Adolescents Conform to High-status Peers: Associations Among Conformity, Identity Alignment, and Self-esteem

Overview

Journal Child Dev

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2023 Nov 15

PMID 37966044

Authors

Nathan H Field

Sophia Choukas-Bradley

Matteo Giletta

Eva H Telzer

Geoffrey L Cohen

Mitchell J Prinstein

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

This study examined whether conformity to high- but not low-status e-confederates was associated with increases in identification with popular peers and subsequent increases in self-esteem. A sample of 250 adolescents (55.1% male; M = 12.70 years; 40.3% White, 28.2% Black, 23.4% Hispanic/Latino, and 7.7% multiracial/other) participated in a well-established experimental chat room paradigm where they were exposed to norms communicated by high- and low-status e-confederates. Results revealed that for boys in the high-status condition only, but not girls, the positive relation between conformity and self-esteem was mediated by greater response alignment with popular peers. These findings bolster prior research by suggesting that conformity to popular peers may be partly motivated by drives for self-esteem and alignment with a valued reference group.

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