Effects of self-monitoring on susceptibility to active and passive peer pressure to date during early adolescence

Peer pressure during adolescence is a strong force in adolescent behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the personality factor of self-monitoring to understand how young adolescents respond to peer pressure for dating. Self-monitoring is the control of expressive behavior and self-presentation, guided by social cues, rather than internal states. The ability and desire to monitor social cues is thought to regulate susceptibility to two different types of peer pressure: active peer pressure, consisting of direct offers, and passive peer pressure, consisting of subtle messages. Seventh graders completed questionnaires about their self-monitoring styles, dating, and susceptibility to passive and active peer pressure. My hypothesis was that low self-monitors would be less susceptible to passive peer pressure to date as they are less aware of social cues and less likely to adjust their behavior according to norms. However, high self-monitors, who are very aware of social cues, should detect subtle peer pressure and feel more pressured to date. Active peer pressure was expected to influence both high and low self-monitors equally as the messages are overt. The results indicated that low self-monitors were less susceptible to peer pressure to date than high self-monitors