Two samples of 6th to 12th graders from separate communities were given measures of peer conformity dispositions (willingness to accede to peer pressure), perceptions of peer pressure, and self-reported frequency of behavior concerning two major aspects of teenage life: peer involvement (degree of socializing with friends) and misconduct (drug/alcohol use, sexual intercourse, and minor delinquent behavior). Respondents perceived less peer pressure toward misconduct than peer involvement and also were comparatively less willing to follow peers in misconduct. Nevertheless, perceived peer pressure and conformity disposition accounted for more of the variance in self-reported misconduct than in self-reported peer involvement. Age differences were modest and varied among measures and samples. The samples also differed in the magnitude of perceived pressures and conformity dispositions as well as in the degree to which these variables were associated with self-reported behavior. The findings reveal a complexity in adolescent conformity that bears elaboration in future research.

Conformity to peers is often considered one of the hallmarks of adolescent behavior. Studies have shown that peer conformity dispositions (willingness to conform to peers) as well as conformity behavior increase from childhood through adolescence. Researchers, however, have tended to examine conformity dispositions without reference to conformity behavior, or behavior without reference to dispositions. There also has been little effort to ascertain the nature or extent of peer pressure adolescents actually perceive in their daily lives. These factors limit our understanding of how peer conformity influences adolescent development. To address these limitations, the present study examined the associations among peer conformity dispositions, perceptions of peer pressure, and self-reported behavior in two major facets of adolescents' lives: peer involvement and misconduct.

From the theoretical perspective of ego identity development Erikson (1968) and Newman and Newman (1976) both argue that the early adolescent's need for affiliation with a group of peers is manifested by conformity to group norms, and that the group itself is strengthened when members exert...