Adolescent Humor During Peer Interaction

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Humor serves a number of purposes in interaction among adolescent friends. A study of predominantly female peer groups in a middle-school setting revealed that humor is utilized in different ways depending upon the size of the group and the degree of "closeness" among its members. Telling "memorized" jokes is something which occurs frequently within newly formed, mixed-sex, or mixed-age groups. Within this context, humor is often used to establish a sophisticated identity among acquaintances. Practical jokes, funny stories, and humorous behavior, on the other hand, are frequently shared by two or three close friends. These forms of humor are used to convey information about peer norms, often by contrasting them with adult expectations. All forms of humor may be utilized to explore sensitive issues such as sexuality which normally are not discussed directly. The ways in which adolescent peers deal with the ambiguities found in humorous exchanges is discussed and the implications this research has for the development of social skills for this age-group are considered.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: