Yavuzer Y., Karataş Z., Çivilidağ A., Gündoğdu R., "The Role of Peer Pressure, Automatic Thoughts and Self Esteem on Adolescents'Agression.", eurasian journal of educational research, pp.61-78, 2014
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Problem Statement: Aggression is defined as any kind of behavior intended<br /> to hurt others. Aggression generally arises due to the interaction between<br /> individual (e.g., social and emotional difficulties, low self-esteem, peer<br /> rejection, academic failure) and environmental (e.g., poverty, lack of<br /> family supervision, limited social support, conflicts within the family)<br /> characteristics. Identifying the factors which cause aggressiveness in<br /> adolescents is vital to finding precautions against it.<br /> Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of<br /> peer pressure, automatic thoughts and self-esteem variables on the<br /> aggression levels of male and female adolescents.<br /> Methods: This is a relational and quantitative research aimed to examine<br /> the effects of peer pressure, automatic thoughts and self-esteem variables<br /> on the prediction of adolescents’ aggression levels. The study sample<br /> consisted of 411 volunteer students who were chosen through random<br /> sampling from a total of 720 9th grade students from various high schools<br /> in Antalya, Turkey. Participants completed the Aggression Questionnaire,<br /> Peer Pressure Scale, Automatic Thoughts Scale and Self-Esteem Scale in<br /> their classrooms during counseling sessions. Data were analyzed using<br /> hierarchical multiple regression analysis.<br /> Findings and Results: In the hierarchical multiple regression analysis for<br /> female and male adolescents, it was found that peer pressure and<br /> automatic thoughts were effective predictors in explaining adolescents’ aggression levels. Furthermore, it was found that automatic thoughts fully<br /> mediated the relationship between self-esteem and aggression for both<br /> male and the female adolescents.<br /> Conclusions and Recommendations: It was found that peer pressure and<br /> automatic thoughts have a significant effect on adolescent aggression. In<br /> works related to the prevention of aggression, it is vital to teach<br /> adolescents how to cope with peer pressure and how to say “no”. On the<br /> basis of these results, we recommend that schools implement workshops<br /> to educate adolescents in aggression and violence prevention. In addition,<br /> we recommend using cognitive-behavioral techniques to raise adolescents’<br /> awareness of nonfunctioning and aggression-triggering automatic<br /> thoughts in order that they may modify these thought patterns.<br /> Keywords: Aggression, peer pressure, automatic thoughts, self-esteem,<br /> adolescents.</p>