Peer pressure is the term used to describe the influence that peers may have on one another. Peers are those with whom you share a common social group. When referring to actions that are not regarded as desirable or socially acceptable, like dabbling with drugs or alcohol, the term “peer pressure” is frequently employed. In this article, we will learn more about what is peer pressure.
Peer pressure can occasionally have good benefits, even though it is not frequently used to describe socially accepted behaviors like exercising or studying.
Concept Of Peer Pressure
Each person has friends. Peers might be your friends who share your age, similar hobbies, and life experiences. Peers might also be young individuals your age who live in the same neighborhood as you or who participate in the same extracurricular activities as you. You could still be impacted by your peers, even if you don’t consider them all to be close pals.
Peer pressure can be advantageous or harmful. Positive peer pressure encourages you to put forth your best effort. When a buddy or a fellow group member persuades you that you need to do something in order to fit in, this is known as negative peer pressure. Most of the time, when we hear the term “peer pressure,” we associate it with negative things. You typically feel guilty or uncomfortable with yourself for acting in a way that is inconsistent with your views or aspirations when you succumb to negative peer pressure.
Below are some instances of harmful peer pressure:
- Bullying or cyberbullying behavior.
- Cheating, allowing others to copy your work, or copying someone else’s work.
- Having to behave or wear a certain way
- Driving when taking risky situations.
- Using booze or drugs.
- Theft or shoplifting.
- Pursuing a sexual relationship.
- Excluding some individuals from social events.
- Creating a fraudulent or misleading online persona.
Five Common Peer Pressures Among Students
Peer pressure frequently increases as children go up in grades. By the time they attend high school, many youngsters have made fitting in their top priority, which is often caused for concern. Although peer pressure can come in many different forms, it frequently focuses on the following:
Drugs and alcohol
On college and high school campuses, alcohol and drugs are commonly available, and teenagers may feel pressure from their peers to engage in unconventional or risky behaviors in order to fit in. Abusing alcohol or drugs under peer pressure can get someone into problems quickly and result in even worse mistakes.
Stealing
One of the immediate impacts of stealing may be significant sorrow when the adrenaline surge slows, sometimes in reaction to an order. After stealing, one experiences negative emotions such as regret, dread of getting caught, and concern over possible reputational harm.
Sexual activity
Seeing friends engage in sexual activity can convey the idea that it is commonplace and unimportant. Someone can be persuaded by this notion to forgo their misgivings or partake in more sex than they had planned. While it can be challenging to exercise restraint in the heat of the moment, having sex under duress typically results in having sex without giving it any thought. This may cause someone to feel uneasy about moving outside of their comfort zone. Pregnancy or STDs are two highly undesirable outcomes that could result from that. Sexual matters are one of the main areas where peer pressure results in bad judgments. Despite the widespread belief that everyone is hooking up, studies reveal that much fewer young people than you might think actually engage in hookup sex.
Bullying
A difficult scenario could arise for the young person who notices when a group of friends begins to bully someone else. If they choose to refrain and remain silent, they face the risk of being perceived as outsiders. If they do join, they will, however, go through the negative emotions that come with becoming a bully themselves.
Dangerous behavior
It can be challenging to object to what your friends are doing or even to leave while you’re just hanging out with them. Additionally, it is less difficult to contend that some behaviors are not very dangerous, particularly if they don’t appear to do so at first. A decision’s suitability for you can be determined by how it makes you feel both during and after making it. Resist the impulse to repeat something you regret doing, even if your buddies prod you to.
How To Resist Peer Pressure
In order to make sound decisions, young people frequently need to assess their level of self-assurance and personal values.
Develop a strong sense of self-esteem and confidence
In order to resist peer pressure, one must first develop a solid, healthy sense of self-worth. You won’t need to perform to win others’ favor or heed their directions in order to feel good or accepted when you learn to develop self-confidence and believe in yourself. By building confidence early on, you can become a confident person later in life.
Respect yourself and be aware of your limits
Confident people are less prone to give in to peer pressure. When resisting peer pressure or influence, it’s critical to uphold your limits. If you are aware of how your decisions, both good and poor, might help or injure you and other people, it might be simpler to know when to say no.
Remember the consequences of your actions
A teen thinks about boosting her self-esteem. Remind yourself that your choices matter before you succumb to peer pressure. You could endanger yourself or the people you care about if you make the wrong choice. There will be a big influence on every choice you make.
Keep your friends close and spend time together
Good companionship will motivate you to make moral choices in life. One of the best ways to deal with peer pressure is to avoid it. You can achieve this by choosing your friends carefully and identifying your actual friends. Stay away from the “cool” crowd if they’re pressing you to make bad decisions; your real pals are people in decent social circles who will encourage you to act morally. You won’t need to use illicit substances or drink alcohol.
The Ending Note
While avoiding harmful peer pressure can be difficult, the happy emotions that follow are simple. Furthermore, you might be an example to your friends who share your beliefs; frequently, all it takes is one person to speak up or decide to adopt a different course of action to change a situation.
If you have the bravery to accomplish something uncommon or controversial, your friends might support you. You are aware of your persuasiveness and you admire your leadership abilities.
We hope you found this article about “What is peer pressure” useful.