Socialization in Adolescence

Research on socialization in adolescence has focused mainly on three broad questions. First, to what extent are adolescents influenced by different agents of socialization, such as the family or peer group? Second, which aspects of adolescent development (e.g., school performance, drug use, prosocial behavior) are most influenced by these various socialization agents? Finally, what characteristics of individuals (e.g., age, gender, upbringing) make them more or less susceptible to different sources of influence? This article provides a brief history of research on socialization in adolescence, a discussion of several challenges that confront researchers interested in the study of adolescent socialization, and an overview of major research themes in the study of adolescent socialization in the family, peer group, and other social institutions.