SOCIAL DESIRABILITY AND SOCIAL IDENTITY AS PREDICTORS OF PRESSURE TOWARDS PEER ACCEPTANCE AMONG TEENAGERS

Abstract

This study examined predictive effects of social desirability and social identity on pressure towards peer acceptance among teenagers, using 191 teenagers in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria, comprising 89 males and 102 females with mean age 9.80yrs, sampled through simple random technique. Peer Acceptance Scale by Skogbrott, Breivik and Wold (2013); Social Identity Scale by Cheek and Briggs (2013) and Social Desirability Scale by Marlone and Crowne (1960) were used for data collection, while predictive design and multiple regression analysis were used as design and statistics. The result confirmed that social identity significantly predicted positively peer acceptance at B = .21*, p < .05 and social desirability significantly predicted positively peer acceptance at B = .15*, p < .05 (n =191). It is recommended for stakeholders to monitor pupils’ social dispositions and peer behaviour in school in order to provide counseling services to pupils for healthy growth and social adaptation.