Applying societal pressure is the process through which one individual or group seeks to sway another person or group. The pressure may be beneficial, motivating us to respect others, or destructive, encouraging us to act in ways that are detrimental to both ourselves and others.
Societal pressure can manifest itself in a variety of ways. When attempting to persuade us to do something, someone may utilize social pressure. One of the implicit expectations that culture or society has of us is social pressure, along with the expectation that we will conform in specific ways. Threats or verbal abuse are occasionally manifestations of social pressure. Expectations of punishment or reward could be one of the cultural forces at play.
Societal Pressures People Face
Among the most widespread societal pressures that contemporary teenagers experience are:
The Pressure to Fit In
Teenagers have a strong desire to blend in and win the favor of others. Teenagers’ outfits and accessory choices, as well as who they hang out with and whether or not they begin misusing drugs and alcohol, can all be influenced by the need to fit in.
Social Media Pressure
Users can stay in touch with social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Many young people feel under a lot of pressure to build social media profiles that are outstanding and convey an air of coolness, which adds to the pressure. These websites employ likes, shares, and comments to gauge their popularity and coolness. Teenagers may feel a lot of pressure to be successful on social media. Cyberbullying, which can cause a lot of stress for teenagers who use social media, is another risk they face.
The Pressure to Look Good
The years of a person’s life when they feel the least secure are often the teenage years. Teenagers may go through a lot of stress over their appearance. They are under constant pressure to look good and presentable in their attire. Many young people spend a lot of time using filters to modify their own images before sharing them on social media in an effort to appear better.
The Pressure to Figure Out Their Futures
Teenagers are typically under a lot of pressure from parents, teachers, friends, and other adults to make decisions about the course of their lives. This could lead to extremely high levels of academic stress. Teenagers who are considering attending college, a trade school, etc. must work very hard to maintain decent grades. As they strive to figure out how they will go from being dependent on their parents to being totally independent adults, teenagers frequently go through a tremendous deal of stress.
How To Overcome Societal Pressure
The impact or pressure you get from friends and relatives telling you to do something you don’t want to, or the opposite, is known as social pressure. Societal pressures typically force us to act against our better judgment, whether we are attempting to launch an online business or simply choosing to skip gymnastics class. Here is a strategy for doing it.
Remember, no one is perfect at giving advice
It’s crucial to constantly remind yourself that, when dealing with social pressure, the person telling you not to accept your dream job isn’t always an industry expert and doesn’t necessarily know you better than you do. Simply put, they are telling you to exercise caution. But no goal can be achieved without taking risks. Simply list your priorities on a piece of paper, compare them to the goal, and decide which is more important.
Identify what you can now control
When we focus on things that are out of our control, we get anxious and depressed. Instead, when we set a realistic goal that is within our reach, we become more motivated and feel better about ourselves. So you might not be able to run down the aisle like so many of your contemporaries or pursue a good career at this time. There are, however, a tonne of amazing things you can do.
Make yourself immune to the doubters
Everyone is susceptible to social pressure, thus you will surely run into circumstances when you question whether your colleague was correct to forecast the demise of your business. You must arm yourself against these attacks by gathering any evidence that disproves their assumptions and motivates you to fight for your objectives. This may be a book, a YouTube video, or some of your friends who share your interests.
Finding buddies with whom to launch your business is one of the best methods to get over such doubts. Even while it may be clear that you are unable or unwilling to expand your current friendship circle, you are not required to do so. All you need to do is provide them the book or movie that inspired you to make your decision.
Visualize
You must picture yourself in the desired posture to further inspire yourself. Imagine beginning the day at your own place of employment, collaborating with friends to increase the profitability of your restaurant, and finishing the day feeling content and pleased.
It’s either a blessing or a lesson
Whatever choices we make, we should be happy with them and confident that they serve our interests. Even while our decisions don’t always seem to work out for us, they nevertheless leave us with the knowledge that helps us make better decisions in the future and memories that make it easier to remember the lessons we learned from those situations. Everyone benefits in both cases.
Be Practical
Always be mindful of the possibility that you could fail and then beg for the job you left in order to get it back. But remember that even failure will teach you a lot probably more than success would have taught you.
Examples Of Societal Pressure
- At a gathering, you sense pressure from friends to drink.
- In some cultures, wearing formal clothes to weddings and funerals is expected.
- A teenager feels pressure from her friends to pursue an expensive college education.
- Male teenager feels they must buy a car since other people view males without cars negatively.
- Parents who blatantly have a favored child despite seeming otherwise.
The Bottom Line
Be mindful of your importance. Your life matters and you have a purpose in this world. If you ever need to talk about any pressure, get in touch with your family and friends. They’ll help you deal with pressure.