Effects Of Self-Esteem Levels And Peer In Presence On Risk-Taking Behaviors Of Adolescents

Adolescence was a period of high incidence of risk-taking behaviors. During this period, adolescent individual's physical and mental development is not yet perfect. Risk-taking to the healthy development of the adolescent themselves and others have different degree of adverse effects. Risk-taking behaviors of adolescents mainly affected by the individual's “Personality System” and “Perceived Environment System”. Self-esteem and peers as a core part of the two systems in adolescents' healthy development of behavior plays an important role. But previous studies more focus on self-esteem, peers' role alone or in combination with other factors of correlation function, and less play attention to the influence of the two factors simultaneously. Therefore, this study examined the effects of self-esteem, peers on adolescents' risk-taking.This study examined and assessed fresh students' level of self-esteem and risk-taking from senior high school of Shandong province with the Chinese modified versions of the self-esteem scale(SES) and “The Stoplight Driving Game”. Adopting the method of experimental design, Study 1 examined the effects of self-esteem and peer presence on adolescents' risk-taking(risky driving). Based on Study 1, Study 2 further explored the effects of self-esteem and familiarity of peers who were present on adolescents' risk-taking(risky driving). Main results as follows:(1) Self-esteem has a significant effect on adolescents' risk-taking, low self-esteem adolescents have more risk-taking behaviors;(2) Compared with individual when alone, the presence of peers increased adolescents' risk-taking;(3) Self-esteem and peer in presence have significant effects on adolescents' risk-taking: Compared with individual when alone, the presence of peers increased low self-esteem adolescents' risk-taking;(4)No significant prediction effect on adolescents' risk-taking was found in different familiarity of peers who were present;(5) Self-esteem and familiarity of peers who were present have significant effects on adolescents' risk-taking: compared with unfamiliar peers, when adolescents who have low level self-esteem have more risky driving in the presence of their friends. In other words, the presence of friends increased low self-esteem adolescents' maladjustment risk-taking.