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Resistance and Conformity

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Encyclopedia of Adolescence

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Overview

Resistance to peer influence, or the ability to resist making choices or adopting views under the implicit or explicit influence of your peers, is expected to undergo changes during adolescence. Two opposing developmental trajectories have emerged from the field. On the one hand, adolescents show a temporary decrease in resistance to peer influence when it comes to antisocial situations, whereas on the other hand, adolescents seem to grow more resistant to neutral peer influence. Studies that have investigated age and gender differences in self-reported resistance to peer influence will be reviewed. In addition, relationships between resistance to peer influence and neuromaturational changes, both functional and structural, will be discussed. Finally, possibilities for future strands of research are suggested to further the field of resistance to peer influence.

Introduction

The current entry will discuss a range of studies that investigated resistance to peer influence over...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Roeterseilandcampus, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    S. R. Sumter

  2. Developmental and Educational Psychology Unit, Leiden University, 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands

    C. L. Bokhorst & P. M. Westenberg

Authors
  1. S. R. Sumter
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  2. C. L. Bokhorst
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  3. P. M. Westenberg
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to S. R. Sumter , C. L. Bokhorst or P. M. Westenberg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

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Sumter, S.R., Bokhorst, C.L., Westenberg, P.M. (2018). Resistance and Conformity. In: Levesque, R.J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33228-4_327

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