Thomas Berndt (1992) proposes two questions to assist inunderstanding adolescent friendships.
First, for an adolescence: “How can you tell that someone isyour friend?”
Second, respond to a moral dilemma (as an adolescence) posed byBerndt:
You and your friends found a sheet of paper that your teachermust have lost. On the paper are the questions and answers for atest you are going to have tomorrow. Your friends all plan to studyfrom it, and they want you to go along with them. You don’t thinkyou should, but they tell you to do it anyway. What would youreally do: study from the paper or not study from it?
This scenario provides an opportunity to demonstrate how adolescentinfluence or “peer pressure” is a mutual process. Please discussthis concept of peer pressure in your life, community or theUS.
