The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social goals, perceived peer approval/use of alcohol and cigarettes, and intentions to initiate alcohol and cigarette use in early adolescence. Strong agentic and strong communal goals were both hypothesized to increase vulnerability to peer influence on intentions to use alcohol and cigarettes. Adolescents who value gaining respect from their peers may believe that substance use will make them “look cool” and garner more respect from their peers; accordingly, these adolescents were expected to conform to the peer group’s substance use attitudes and intend to use substances in the future. On the other hand, adolescents who value building communion with their peers may believe that endorsing the social group’s attitudes will increase connectedness and minimize the possibility of rejection, and thus, these adolescents were also expected to conform to a peer group’s substance use attitudes and intend to use substances in the future. Support was found for these hypotheses but there were important differences across intentions to use alcohol and cigarettes.
