Peer pressure effecting teens to do negative activities like shoplifting has been around for a long time and it is unlikely that it will be going anywhere anytime soon. Although teens are aware of the peer pressure that surrounds them, I do not think that many are aware of the reasons why it is so easy to fall victim to it and that affective ways do exist to help combat against it.
If anything, encouraging teens to pursue their interests and develop them as much to their full potential is one of the ways to help them discover who they are as an individual, not just as a member of their peer group or family. This will help to decrease the chance of them ever starting to shoplift (or other negative behaviours like drinking, drugs, unsafe sexual activity, etc.) For teens that have already begun, addressing issues in their home lives and providing them with support on a daily basis can make a world of a difference. However in extreme cases, sometimes police intervention is the only answer that will give them the wake up call they need.
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
Media vs. Peer Influence
Based on both my research and my own original ideas, I believe that peers have a stronger influence on the likelihood of teens shoplifting than the media does. Although the media does hold an undeniable influence over teens today, their peers are the number one motivators of this behaviour when it comes down to it.
The article that was in favour of media influence was informative, but it covered a variety of different facets that made it less specific to the topic of teen shoplifting, touching on it for only a small portion of the piece. The data used is also more outdated, ranging from 1992 to 2001. While it may have been accurate at the time it was published, trends regarding youth and the media have changed drastically in the past 20 years which renders much of the information from this article as more of a teaching point from past statistics then a guide to the current issues at hand.
In contrast, my articles that were in favour of peer influence dived into the topic of teen shoplifting deeply and provided statistics that are up to date and current with today's trends. And although they consulted data from studies that date back all the way to the 1960s, they used them to provide a timeline that lets you compare the past to the present.
I believe that for most adolescents, their peers have the highest degree of influence on the likelihood of them making a negative choice like shoplifting.
The article that was in favour of media influence was informative, but it covered a variety of different facets that made it less specific to the topic of teen shoplifting, touching on it for only a small portion of the piece. The data used is also more outdated, ranging from 1992 to 2001. While it may have been accurate at the time it was published, trends regarding youth and the media have changed drastically in the past 20 years which renders much of the information from this article as more of a teaching point from past statistics then a guide to the current issues at hand.
In contrast, my articles that were in favour of peer influence dived into the topic of teen shoplifting deeply and provided statistics that are up to date and current with today's trends. And although they consulted data from studies that date back all the way to the 1960s, they used them to provide a timeline that lets you compare the past to the present.
I believe that for most adolescents, their peers have the highest degree of influence on the likelihood of them making a negative choice like shoplifting.
Media Influence on Teen Shoplifting
The rise of shoplifting has been labelled a cultural phenomenon and is often tied with it's constant portrayal in pop culture. But is it the main source of the rising statistics? The article "The Influence and Power of Visual Media on Adolescents and The Need For School-Based Media Literacy Instruction" believes that it is.
Teens are constantly being bombarded with visual messages that must be received, interpreted, and critically analyzed. Although these images can be received without a problem, the real issue lies in the interpretation and analysis of them since they all embody social, consumeristic, and capitalist components. Since teens are at a stage where they have an increased level of susceptibility to messages from the media, they are more likely to internalize them. This can negatively impact them, making some more prone to criminal activity, violent behaviour, negative self-image, etc.
When asked if they thought they were being desensitized to disturbing and sensitive issues, 92% of female and 73% of male teens believed that they were. This growing desensitization can be linked to growing trends of teens who possess no belief systems and have no moral qualms with many forms of criminal behaviour, including shoplifting. The glamorization of stealing and drugs and alcohol causes adolescents to see it as culturally acceptable, despite parents and other authority figures making it clear that the opposite is true.
Teens are constantly being bombarded with visual messages that must be received, interpreted, and critically analyzed. Although these images can be received without a problem, the real issue lies in the interpretation and analysis of them since they all embody social, consumeristic, and capitalist components. Since teens are at a stage where they have an increased level of susceptibility to messages from the media, they are more likely to internalize them. This can negatively impact them, making some more prone to criminal activity, violent behaviour, negative self-image, etc.
When asked if they thought they were being desensitized to disturbing and sensitive issues, 92% of female and 73% of male teens believed that they were. This growing desensitization can be linked to growing trends of teens who possess no belief systems and have no moral qualms with many forms of criminal behaviour, including shoplifting. The glamorization of stealing and drugs and alcohol causes adolescents to see it as culturally acceptable, despite parents and other authority figures making it clear that the opposite is true.
Peer Influence on Teen Shoplifting
The articles "An Exploratory Study of Adolescent Shoplifting Behaviour" and "Age Differences in Resistance to Peer Pressure" both agree that heightened sense of self-awareness and self-consciousness, known as egocentrism, is something that effects the way that many teens behave, especially around their peers.
The combination of egocentrism and peer pressure can greatly effect the way that adolescents respond when faced with prosocial, neutral, and antisocial activities - such as shoplifting. Teens experience a heightened sense of susceptibility to peer pressure of individuals that reaches its peak during mid adolescence. This knowledge directly connects with the studies of delinquent acts committed during the teen years which found that crimes committed in groups are most common during middle adolescence.
Research has shown that on average, girls are less susceptible to peer pressure than boys when it comes to both neutral and antisocial situations. This defies untrue stereotypes of girls being less autonomous than boys. When examining ethnic or socioeconomic differences in regards to the peer pressure to shoplift, there is currently not enough research available to draw accurate conclusions.
Why is this deviant behaviour?
Shoplifting is a form of deviance for a number of reasons. It is the largest source of money-related crime in America, costing stores in the States over 16 billion dollars every year and that number is steadily increasing.
It goes against the expectations that parents and society want teens to follow, creating a sense of rebellion surrounding shoplifting that is attractive to many. The mood-enhancing effects of the adrenaline rush is enough of a reason for some adolescents, comparing it to the high that one would receive from drugs and alcohol. This high can be just as addictive as these other stimulants and can motivate individuals to go to great risks to achieve it on a regular basis, causing some teens to go from shoplifting once every few weeks to shoplifting almost daily.
The induced sense of belonging it can foster amongst teen shoplifters and their cohorts can be dangerous. Their adolescence causes them to be more susceptible to peer pressure and their lack of cognitive development inhibits their ability to judge potential risks and rewards rationally. A false sense of independence from their families can form because teens may believe that because they are able to successfully shoplift, that gives them all of the necessary skills and the maturity level needed to survive in the world on their own.
It goes against the expectations that parents and society want teens to follow, creating a sense of rebellion surrounding shoplifting that is attractive to many. The mood-enhancing effects of the adrenaline rush is enough of a reason for some adolescents, comparing it to the high that one would receive from drugs and alcohol. This high can be just as addictive as these other stimulants and can motivate individuals to go to great risks to achieve it on a regular basis, causing some teens to go from shoplifting once every few weeks to shoplifting almost daily.
The induced sense of belonging it can foster amongst teen shoplifters and their cohorts can be dangerous. Their adolescence causes them to be more susceptible to peer pressure and their lack of cognitive development inhibits their ability to judge potential risks and rewards rationally. A false sense of independence from their families can form because teens may believe that because they are able to successfully shoplift, that gives them all of the necessary skills and the maturity level needed to survive in the world on their own.
Monday, 2 March 2015
Teenage Shoplifting: The Facts
What kind of teens are shoplifting, you may ask?
Approximately 25% of all shoplifters are teenagers and 55% of adult shoplifters first began when they were teens. As with adult shoplifters, there is no typical profile of a teen shoplifter - both male and female adolescents shoplift fairly equally and come from a variety of different economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
Adolescence is a critical time in each of our lives. Its when we begin to step out of childhood and start moving towards adulthood, and the decisions we make along the way can impact us positively or negatively for the rest of our lives. Therefore, it is crucial for teens to discover who they are and form a solid sense of identity from as early an age as they can or they may otherwise fall prey easily to peer pressures like shoplifting.
The influence of peers can play an important role in the development of this behaviour for teens. Most teenagers do not plan to shoplift before entering the store and make the decision usually because of either peer pressure or a sense of compulsion that they personally feel to steal an item. A sudden sense of compulsion may be a coping mechanism brought on by the anxiety of a turbulent home life and/or deeper underlying problems that the individual may be facing (i.e. mental health issues).
Approximately 25% of all shoplifters are teenagers and 55% of adult shoplifters first began when they were teens. As with adult shoplifters, there is no typical profile of a teen shoplifter - both male and female adolescents shoplift fairly equally and come from a variety of different economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
Adolescence is a critical time in each of our lives. Its when we begin to step out of childhood and start moving towards adulthood, and the decisions we make along the way can impact us positively or negatively for the rest of our lives. Therefore, it is crucial for teens to discover who they are and form a solid sense of identity from as early an age as they can or they may otherwise fall prey easily to peer pressures like shoplifting.
The influence of peers can play an important role in the development of this behaviour for teens. Most teenagers do not plan to shoplift before entering the store and make the decision usually because of either peer pressure or a sense of compulsion that they personally feel to steal an item. A sudden sense of compulsion may be a coping mechanism brought on by the anxiety of a turbulent home life and/or deeper underlying problems that the individual may be facing (i.e. mental health issues).
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