Conflicting Group Membership: A Study of Parent-Peer Group Cross-Pressures

The influence of family and peer group on the attitudes of 50 Jewish adolescents (universe in a small NY city) toward the use of kosher meat. Peer group cliques are defined on the basis of interview and non-participant observation data. Adolescents planning to use kosher meat when married are labele...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:American sociological review 1955-04, Vol.20 (2), p.155-161
Main Author: Rosen, Bernard C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescence
Adolescents
Children
Family Relations
Jewish Americans
Kosher foods
Meats
Observational research
Parental attitudes
Parental Influence
Parents
Peer Groups
Peer Influence
Reference Groups
Religious Attitudes
Statistical significance
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The influence of family and peer group on the attitudes of 50 Jewish adolescents (universe in a small NY city) toward the use of kosher meat. Peer group cliques are defined on the basis of interview and non-participant observation data. Adolescents planning to use kosher meat when married are labeled observant as are peer-groups with half or more observant members and families in which kosher meat is actually used. When family and peer groups are considered as simple membership groups, there is a signif relationship between attitude of adolescent and attitude of his membership groups. The relationship is more marked with respect to peer group than family. Family and peer groups are then examined as possible reference groups using the criteria: (1) perceived importance to individual; (2) perceived model for self-evaluation; & (3) perceived bond of understanding. A stronger relationship is found to exist between attitudes of adolescents and those of their reference group. The findings are discussed in terms of reference group theory and explanations for the importance of peer group are suggested. W. F. Kenkel.
ISSN:0003-1224
DOI:10.2307/2088319