Entry 4: Draft 3

   Before I began this research I didn't really think adolescents these days cared much about popularity. I thought it was more like "this is the way I am deal with it", because there is always someone who you can be friends with, and those who dislike you almost always come around at some point. At least in high school from my experiences. I guess that's not the case in most places.

      I had to learn the difference between popularity and social status and the two types adolescents in peer groups. Perceived and sociometrically popular. I've learned that those unlikely attributes if they don't die out in the "popularity frenzy", could determine the success of teens as adults. Now I see the effects social status has on teens when i realize what teens do to obtain a high social status, or popularity. I see what teens give up and I understand why, but not why maturity does not over take those attributes when it comes to the real life after high school.

      It was shocking to realize what I was looking at but not seeing. Teens are driven by other teens and the media to take a big risk of losing themselves, their true attributes before someone else didn't like them. When so many teens as there are want a higher status, society's productiveness is getting pushed back. Since it takes so long for teens to mature, what could have been accomplished for instance by the age of thirty-five if ever accomplished could take to the age of fifty-five to succeed in. Adolescents are constantly competing with each other for who is the best at this and who looks the best at that, but we realize that in the near future the best will be the one who applied themselves the most. Thus those who were probably teased for their useful later in life attributes.

      Generations before had no choice but to do away with childlike behavior to survive, but generations ahead seem to be getting softer and not stronger. Biology could claim to be a cause in relation to aggressiveness and stubborn behavior among teens, but generations before those teen with the same attributes unlike teens could have used those attributes to better their lives and not impress others.

     How are teens affected by their social status and popularity? Social status, and popularity "runs" the lives of adolescents. They are influenced by the media and peers to look a certain way and act a certain way, and they do it for one reason, to be accepted. On the negative side, maturity takes longer and becomes harder to reach. Thus, adult success takes longer and becomes harder to reach. On the positive side for teens who have a particularly lower social status and do not engage themselves in popularity, it is just the opposite. From here arrives another question "why do we do this to ourselves?" or should it be "when will we stop"?

Entry 1: Draft 3

"How are teens and adolescents affected by popularity and social status ?"  is a question that I've always wondered about, and since the topic of popularity alone appeals to me, I decided to research the question.  I 'm not far from my teenage years so I believe it is important to know how teens are really affected by their attributes in school and amongst peers in the future.

      This topic interest me because of personal experience with social status. Life was more about social status than popularity in the schools I grew up in. People were who they were because that's who they were. Those who did things to fit in were looked down upon and eventually everyone was accepted by most people. I had only heard or read about adolescents who long for popularity, but during my research I found that most schools do have the those adolescents who engage themselves in extreme popularity and want high social status. How does it really affects us later.

      Originally I thought that traits adolescents acquired that were useless in adult-life situations are left behind in high school, or the early years of college. However in my research I found that those behaviors and attributes developed in high school can determine the kind of adult life of adolescents, and could stay with some.

   This blog affects teens, adolescents and young adults. It is important that teens realize if the lengths they go to reach popularity in school and their behavior in maintaining high popularity, high social status, or low popularity will affect their lives as adults.

Entry 3: Draft 3

Under the circumstances that socially affiliated behaviors are in relation to likeness, popularity may have a biological origin (Burt 86). This is  a statement I found in an article by Alexandra Burt that I have to disagree with. In an analysis of  male adolescents, it was found that between the genes A-allelle, and G-allelle, those with G-allelle were more popular.  Meaning that the relationship between serotonin and popularity is partially genetic in the case where certain genes lead teens to experience to a particular social situation (Burt 86). After saying this Burt amitted that since behavior varies it would be impossible to conclude this. Teens who are perceived popular,  popular because they act out of their natural character, are proved to be more aggressive than those who are popular because of their natural character (Sandstrom, Cillessen 476). Therefore, perceived popular teens will do more wild things, but I don't believe that has anything to do with biology. There are many children whose parents or generations before them may have been aggressive, or may have had a stressful life event, and that child isn't aggressive or doesn't value popularity highly at all. It all has to do with the mind set of the child and what he or she values through their own personal experience.

      I understand that there are things in the blood system that could make you more dominant and aggressive therefore more reactive to others. But I also believe that can be changed with a certain mind set. My sister has to take certain pills for her seizures and she is a bit aggressive because of the pills, but a few of my other little brothers and sisters act the same way she does sometimes and they have no condition. The aggression could just be a result of being spoiled, or overwhelming stress from a personal experience. Just because aggressive behavior, or genes that enhance socially affiliated behavior may be inherited in the blood stream doesn't mean that behavior could ever have to surface.

Entry 5: Draft 2

Baurlein, Mark. “Their So-Called Lives.” Commentary. 132.2 (2011): 74-76. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Antonius H. N. Cillessen, and Amanda J. Rose. “Understanding Popularity in the Peer System.” Current

Directions in Psychological Science.14.2 (2005):102-105. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

Robbins, Alexandra. “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: popularity, quirk theory, and why outsiders thrive after high school”. New York, NY: Hyperion, 2011. 6-9. Print.

Rubin, Kenneth H, Bukowski William M., and Laursen Brett P.. Handbook of Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups. New York: Guilford Press, 2009. 100-113. Print.

Sandstrom, Marlene J., and Antonius H. N. Cillessen. "Life After High School: Adjustment Of Popular Teens In Emerging Adulthood." Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 56.4 (2010): 474-499. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 12 Mar. 2012.

Burt, Alexandra. "A Mechanistic Explanation Of Popularity: Genes, Rule Breaking, And Evocative Gene–Environment Correlations." Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology 96.4 (2009): 783-794. PsycARTICLES. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.