own adoption of negative body-related cognitions (e.g., body dissatisfaction), but not binge eating per se (Rancourt & Prinstein, 2008). Alternatively, it may be that adolescents influence one another’s behavior due to comparison on related attributes. In the same study, our findings revealed that adolescents who deviated from their best friends in pubertal development were more likely than those similarly developed to their friends to engage in dieting behaviors (Rancourt & Prinstein, 2008). These types of processes are rarely examined, yet reflect important ways in which adolescents’ attitudes and behaviors are influenced by their peers.
