Psychological analysis of cognitive and motivational basis of peer interactions in adolescence

Abstract

The study examined the strategies used by adolescents in their interactions with peers. Particular attention was paid to gender-related features of those strategies. The theoretical study enables to distiguish few important parameters of adolescent’s communicative sphere such as interactive orientation, interpersonal motivational orientation, emotional barriers, elements of hostility. A lot of previous research pointed out that peer interactions have great influence on person's social and behavioral functioning in adolescence. The quantity of interactions with peers and friendship intimacy increase during this period and their quality is a basic requirement for youth well-being.

Analysis of gender features of the adolescents’ communicative orientations indicated the existence of certain differences in attitudes of young people. The most distinct differences were observed regarding the scale "Focus on partner acceptance". Girls demonstrated stronger orientation towards perception, acceptance and understanding their peers. We did not notice gender specificity of the adolescents attitudes regarding the focus on compromise. The presence of such tendencies is a good basis for developing different forms of cooperation in the teens’ groups. At the same time, it was found that there were some unfavorable tendencies: unwillingness to come closer on an emotional basis, secrecy; predominance of marginal orientation; the presence of elements of cynicism, hostility and aggressiveness.