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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy pp 2173–2177Cite as

Peer Contagion/Deviancy

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Synonyms

Deviancy training; Deviant peers; Peer influence; Problem behavior

Introduction

Peer contagion (Dishion and Tipsord 2011) refers to the transmission of deviant behaviors between youth (i.e., children and adolescents). Behaviors are considered deviant if they violate social norms and expectations. This includes, but is not limited to, substance use, delinquency, and violence. Compared to other risk factors, deviant peer affiliation is often the strongest predictor of conduct problems in youth (Deković 1999). Deviant peer affiliation also undermines normative developmental trajectories and places youth at risk for antisocial behaviors in adulthood (Piehler 2016). An understanding of peer contagion is necessary to clinical decision-making that promotes positive youth development.

Theoretical Context

The social augmentation hypothesis suggests that youth enter into relationships with deviant peers because it is adaptive in their immediate environment (Dishion et al. 2008). Youth...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Damir S. Utržan & Timothy F. Piehler

Authors
  1. Damir S. Utržan
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  2. Timothy F. Piehler
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Damir S. Utržan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Jay L. Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Anthony L. Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. Employee Assistance Program, McLeod Health, Florence, SC, USA

    Farrah Hughes

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Utržan, D.S., Piehler, T.F. (2019). Peer Contagion/Deviancy. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_674

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