This thoroughly revised new edition looks at the nature of social networks, their changing configurations, and the forces of influence they unleash in shaping the life experiences of young people between the ages of 12 and 25 years. The author draws on both social and psychological research to apply network thinking to the social relations of youth across the domains of school, work and society. Network thinking examines the pattern and nature of social ties, and analyses how networks channel information, influence and support with effects on a wide range of life experiences. The book comprises eleven chapters, which contain discussion on key topics, such as youth transitions, network analysis, friendship, romantic ties, peer victimization, antisocial behaviour, youth risk-taking, school motivation, career influence, youth citizenship, and community organizations for young people. Chapters contain discussions of practical ways in which schools can provide support, and suggestions for youth organizations on how to assist young people to become effective citizens.

Social Networks and Social Support in Childhood and Adolescence (Prevention and Intervention in Childhood and Adolescence).

Adolescents are forging a new path to self-development, taking advantage of the technology at their fingertips to produce desired results. In Adolescents and Their Social Media Narratives, Walsh specifically explores how social media impacts teenagers' personal development. Indeed, through unique empirical data, Walsh presents an aspect of teen media use that is not often documented in the press—the seemingly deep and meaningful process of evaluating the self visually in an attempt to reconcile their presentation with their internal "self-story." Nevertheless, as Walsh outlines, this is not a process without its challenges. Tracking teenagers’ progress towards self-validation from the offline stages preceding online exhibitions, this enlightening volume will appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students, scholars, and researchers interested in fields such as Social Media Studies, Sociology of Adolescence, Identity Formation, Developmental Psychology, and Society and Technology.

Adolescence is a crucial time for the development of social identity. Some young people ease effortlessly into friendships with their peers whilst others experience the pain of rejection or become involved with antisocial groups or gangs. Social Networks and Social Influences in Adolescenceis divided into three parts, part one examines the nature of peer groups in different settings including classroom groups and gangs, and examines the influence of these groups on individuals. Part two explores young people's behaviour in the wider social environment and the implications of social acceptance or rejection for academic motivation, aggression and health risk behaviour. Finally, part three describes how professionals can support adolescents in building social attachments, giving practical examples of how this is being done in various communities. Social Networks and Social Influences in Adolescencewill prove invaluable for students and professionals working with young people.

Research on adult personal-social networks has contributed greatly to an understanding of mental health, illness, and responses to stress. Fueled by this successful research and a growing concern for today's youth, the contributors to this volume have conducted investigations into the functioning and structures of the social networks of toddlers, school-age children, adolescents, and college students. The editors of this volume move beyond vague generalizations about characteristic and behavior acquisition through socialization in childhood by applying a longitudinal perspective to the sampling of child, adolescent, and young-adult network research. Social Networks of Children, Adolescents, and College Students unites several major empirical studies of children's social networks, investigating the acquisition of specific behaviors from particular groups of individuals under certain conditions. Topics covered include: * the effects of social networks on child development and disorder * the relationship between social networks and coping with stress the role of friends or groups in positive socialization * Of special interest to practitioners, researchers, and advanced students are: * comparative data on children from other cultural groups and non-mainstream American youths descriptions and evaluations of methodologies * introductory materials by the editors commenting on the field and the research extensive bibliographies

The debate on the social impact of information and communication technologies is particularly important for the study of adolescent life, because through their close association with friends and peers, adolescents develop life expectations, school aspirations, world views, and behaviors. This book presents an up-to-date review of the literature on youth sociability, relationship formation, and online communication, examining the way young people use the internet to construct or maintain their inter-personal relationships. Using a social network perspective, the book systematically explores the various effects of internet access and use on adolescents’ involvement in social, leisure and extracurricular activities, evaluating the arguments that suggest the internet is displacing other forms of social ties. The core of the book investigates the motivations for online relationship formation and the use of online communication for relationship maintenance. The final part of the book focuses on the consequences, both positive and negative, of the use of online communication, such as increased social capital and online bullying. Wired Youth is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students of adolescent psychology, youth studies, media studies and the psychology and sociology of interpersonal relationships.

Surveys the online social habits of American teens and analyzes the role technology and social media plays in their lives, examining common misconceptions about such topics as identity, privacy, danger, and bullying.