Peer Pressure is
defined as social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted.
Pressure from one's peers to
behave in a manner similar or acceptable to them.
An influence forced by a
group of persons of the same age encouraging each other to change their values,
behaviour or attitude in order to be like everyone else.
A feeling that you must do the
same things as other people of your age and social group in order to be liked
or respected by them.
Peer
Pressure in teens can have many causes. One of the most common is wanting to
fit in. Another common cause is vying for leadership, or exerting dominance.
Effects of Peer Pressure
Peer pressure can lead to a
loss of individuality. Extreme peer pressure may lead you to follow what your
peers feel right. Their pressure may compel you to go by everything they think
right. You tend to blindly imitate the masses; you adopt their tastes of
fashion, clothing, hair, music and general living. Peer pressure can actually
lead you to lose you tastes of life and force yourself to begin liking what
they like. Peer pressure is the human tendency to join the bandwagon, in which,
the person loses his/her original way of looking at life.
The direct effect of negative
peer pressure is alienation from the family. The teen will just not like to be
in the company of his parents as he feels that their values are standing in the
way of his desires. A negative peer pressure is always antagonistic to the
values that are promoted by the family. Thereby, the first thing that the teen
does is to compromise the values and then indulge in activities that are
contrary to them.
Negative peer pressure renders
an impact in his behaviour and attitude. They feel that it is a mark of
independence to disobey and disregard the opinion and values of their parents.
They turn hostile and it affects their relationship with their parents, social
circle and later in their personal lives also succumbs to this negativity.
A lowered self-esteem is an
inevitable consequence of yielding to peer pressure. Low self-esteem goes hand
in hand with inferiority complex whereby an individual feels inadequate in the
sense that they are not proud of who they are; they always strive to be like so
and so
TIPS TO AVOID PEER PRESSURE
1. BUILD YOUR SELF-ESTEEM
Self-esteem is a
crucial component when it comes to avoiding peer pressure. When you have a good
self image, you're less likely to give in when someone starts turning up the
heat. You can build self-esteem by not cutting yourself down in front of others
and feeling confident in your own skin. Surround yourself with positive role
models to encourage this behavior!
2. BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Ever heard the
expression "Birds of a feather flock together"? It means that the
same types of people will hang out together. So choose your friends wisely! If
you have friends that are happy, confident with themselves and accept you for
who you are, they will be less likely to try and pressure you into something
that you don't feel comfortable doing.
3. THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES
Everyone has a
conscience. Some people have the ability to brush it away, but most people DO
have a conscience. Sometimes when you find yourself in a situation where you
start to cave into peer pressure, stop and think of the consequences. There are
always consequences, and sometimes they can be more grave than others. So give
every moment serious thought when you start feeling pressured.
4. HAVE A GOOD FRIEND
It always helps to
have a trusted friend that you can talk things over with. Someone who is a
positive influence and gives you good advice. Having someone you know you can
trust to discuss things over with will be helpful when you start feeling
pressure from your friends to do things you shouldn't do or don't want to do.
It can be a friend or relative!
5. FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS
Many times, you can
sense whether something is right or not. Peer pressure isn't always necessarily
a bad thing. Sometimes having this kind of pressure can be good, in situations
where you just need a little push to try somethings new or a little scary. But
there are other times that pressure from your friends will lead to far more
dangerous or unhealthy things, and those are the times you need to follow your
instincts.
6. BE THE BETTER MAN
Peer pressure can
leave you feeling like a loser or an idiot when you stand up to your peers and
say no. But don't let this bother you! Think of it this way-you're the better
man! You're the better man because you said no to drugs or drinking and
driving. You're the better man because you refused to do something illegal or
dishonest. So you're NOT a loser or an idiot, and trust me, someday you'll be
glad you stood up for what was right!
7. PRACTICE STANDING YOUR
GROUND
If you're like me,
you can find it hard to say no sometimes. I am sort of a people pleaser, and
when it comes to offering my help, or being pushed around, it can be hard to
say no at times for me. But being out on my own has taught me that you HAVE to
stand up for yourself, not many other people will! Practice saying no, and
standing up for what you believe. Eventually, it will come naturally!
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