Cultural Images and Adolescent Behavior Essay -- Essays Papers

Cultural Images and Adolescent BehaviorTeenagers prove to define themselves by dint of their clothing, jargon, experiences, hairstyles, and, most of all, group associations. In all, this experimentation suggests that the callow attempts to discover himself/herself through externalrather than intrinsicstimuli. Accordingly, images from popular sociableization often provide the external basis from which teenagers go out benchmark their thoughts, opinions and associations. Indeed, adolescents will forge their identities largely in conformance with these pop culture images. They grok such(prenominal) images as the social norm and, thus, as a substance to attain the social acceptance that is so vital to their personal maturation.Furthermore, such pop cultural figures as P. Diddy, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez give intangible brands that help fall in these norms. Not only does each celebrity market tangible brands through their various products and clothing lines, but each also enjoys a social acceptance that extends well beyond the sales revenue of their name-emblazoned products. The celebrities themselves constitute, in fact, their admit name brands. Indeed, they can sell magazines, capture massive audiences and have a strong fan following based solely upon their individual popularity.When deal associate themselves with a particular brand or branded image, they flat assume a new identity that is in some senses, confine to the societal viewpoints of that brand. Teenagers exemplify this phenomenon. When they wear an article of clothing that says GAP or listen to music by Eminem, they are creating a brand of themselves. further do brand images presented in popular culture really create social norms that affect how teenager... ... & Saltzman, J. & Leary, M. (2003, April). Social approval and trait self-esteem, 23-40. The Journal f Research in Psychology, 37, 2.Miller, L. (2003, August). The little book of social theories, 49 -50. Rushkof f, D. (1999). obsession why we listen to what they say. New York Riverhead Books.Sewell, R. (2003, August). The pressure to be perfect. Scripps Howard News Service. Retrieved October 1, 2003 from Lexis-Nexis database.Zgourides, G. & Zgourides, C (2000). Cliffsquickreview sociology. Foster City IDG Books Worldwide. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Members of a group where the leader personifies the ultimate destination and the members task is to journey up the pyramid of commitment and devotion in order to move closer to the idealized but unattainable coating (Rushkoff, D., 2000).