Tag: peer pressure

Peer Pressure

More Harm Than Good

Peer pressure is the direct influence on people by peers, or an individual who gets encouraged to follow their peers by changing their attitude, values or behaviour just for the sake of acceptance. The section of society which is most vulnerable to the effects of peer pressure is teenagers. The fact of peer pressure is that when your peers start trying to get you do things which you otherwise wouldn’t do. For instance, in our society we have people who pressurise us to do things we don’t want to do, hence causing us to not being able to think for ourselves. If you neglect being able to think for yourself and let others do that job then it could have a good outcome for them, but for your well being and for you as a person it can turn out to be a disaster.

Ill effects and Impact

Peer pressure can harm the group by making it too uniform. When all the members think and act alike, the group does not have access to alternative opinions creating a barrier in solving problems.

Peer pressure is a rite of passage that all of us go through but its impact varies from person to person. Some are able to brush it off without any issues while it negatively impacts others. Peer pressure affects the lives of teenagers in a number of ways. It can take a self-confident child and make him or her someone who is not sure about themselves and has a low self esteem. It affects their academic skills too because despite being capable of performing well, they choose not to because in the eyes of their peers, it would seem uncool. In an effort to fit in with their peer group, they place more emphasis on being social rather than working on their academics.

Adolescence and Peer Pressure

The desire to be accepted by their peer group is one of the strongest motivating forces during adolescence. The reason that negative peer pressure happens, especially during adolescence, is because humans are social beings and ‘WE’ want to belong. We do what we believe others want us to do for the sake of acceptance and to ‘fit in’. Extreme peer pressure may lead you to follow what your peers feel right, thereby, you end up losing your own identity.

Conclusion

It honestly depends on the people you surround yourself with. Peer pressure is influenced from a members peers. So it is up to you who you hang around with. It is only a bad thing if you make it one.

Peer pressure

yes or no

According to the Cambridge dictionary, peer pressure is defined as “the strong influence of a group, especially of children, on members of that group to behave as everyone else does”. In other words, peer pressure is the direct influence on a group or an individual by peers who are encouraged or want to follow their peers. It generally happens among the same social group. Peer pressure is also used to describe the effect this influence has on an individual to correspond to be accepted by the group. If you’re with your friends and they convince you to do something you do not like or you typically would not do. And likely if you continue doing that particular thing you may start to like to do even that was bad or good.  A situation like this is an example of peer pressure where an individual changes their behavior, norms, and values to be liked by their peers. The pressure applied by peers may vary. For example, sometimes they do not force you but they make you feel inferior, or they might force you to do it, or they tease you if you do not agree, or they make you feel outcast by ignoring you.

The way you respond to peer pressure can indicate who you are as an individual, a leader, or a follower.

Generally, peer pressure is considered as having a bad impact on people or an individual but indeed, it has a positive impact too. Sometimes peer pressure turned out positive.

Types of peer pressure

  • Positive peer pressure:- Positive peer pressure is defined as when a peer encourages people or an individual to do something positive or pushes them to grow positively and beneficially.

 For example:-  When a peer pushes someone to study hard and to score good grades. Like when in a study group someone is procrastinating and does not want to do homework others motivate him/her to complete the work on time by explaining the bad outcomes of procrastination or not doing homework.

By disapproving of bigoted jokes. Like when someone is trying to pass bad comments on someone their friends come forward to stop them by doing so.

Looking down on illegal or risky behaviors. Like when someone in the group trying to drive drunk and the other stop him/doing so instead of supporting him.

  • Negative peer pressure:- On the other hand negative peer pressure involves doing something dangerous.

For example:- when someone convinces a friend to skip school to watch a movie or to do something unproductive.

When someone pushes their friends to smoke and drink or try the drug.

When someone encourages their friends to fight or bully.

As there are two types of peer pressure then its effect will also be of two types positive and negative. Positive peer pressure leads one to make good choices in their life, they can rely on their friends in a state of confusion. Peer also helps each other develop new skills. But negative peer pressure leads one towards ruin. An individual becomes worse when, surrounded by people, who encourage to do things, which should not be done. Peer pressure influences an individual’s emotional behavior, it can stimulate mental disorders. It also leads to self-doubt.

Peer pressure is very common among teens. And they are most affected. To be cool they do things, which should be not done. In most of the cases, it has been seen that they come under peer pressure in the pressure that they will be outcasted by their friends.

If you are facing the problem of peer pressure then you need to learn to say no and if the pressure continues then you have to leave them. And if you have decided to wait until you are ready to do things then you have to stick to your decision.

So, learn to say no.

Peer Pressure

We often talk about the pressure we deal with in our day-to-day lives. But, do we talk or think about peer pressure? People can be happy and content with their lives. But the sense of dissatisfaction arises as soon as they start comparing their lives and materials with others. They want to “fit in” with their groups or the people they socialize with.

What is Peer Pressure?

Peer pressure is the way how peers (people sharing the same age group or social position) influence each other. This influence is so powerful that it can even lead to going on the wrong track. This influence results in a behavior change, change in attitude and values, to follow their peers.

Not many people know about peer pressure as something that can leave a strong psychological impact on one’s life. It psychologically affects a person to do things according to/or as done by their peers or like groups, to gain social validation. The person may or may not feel good personally about doing something under the pressure of their peers but at the same, the validation from them might feel rewarding.

The most affected group from peer pressure are children and adolescents. Children and adolescents pick up different habits, attitudes, and behavior according to their age. Children, as we know have a habit of imitating what they see happening, and accordingly, they pick up habits from there. A child might what the same kind of bag pack, tiffin box, or any such material stuff as they see in their friend’s circle. They might want a phone or imitate the walking or talking style as their parents, or any celebrities they like. It can be said that children usually pick up attitudes and behaviors that are important to them.

On the other hand, adolescents are the most vulnerable to peer pressure. At this age, the group they are in is of utter importance to them.  They try to get in conformity to their peers’ ideas, styles, ideas, and values.

Peer pressure can have positive effects when people are pressured in a positive direction such as achieving excellent academic or any co-curriculum performance. However, the hunger for social acceptance and validation leads the youth to engage in risky and even at times illegal activities. They often fall prey to wrong deeds and get into alcoholism, drug abuse, life harm, or even sexual abuse.

Adolescence is a crucial and delicate age. Parents need to monitor their children’s activities, behavior, and attitudes. And, if any alarming signs are sensed, immediate action such be taken. However, the monitoring should not make the youth feel suffocated; unable to make any decisions on their own. It should be done in a way that the youth should feel free to talk about his/her feelings and problems with the parents.

Only shouting and scolding is not the solution to keep your child secured from peer pressure and its reputations, rather understanding the age and its impact is important. To keep youth away from the negative impacts of peer pressure, parental support and parental guidance are of utter importance.

How Peer pressure influence our lives…

Peer pressure is the influence on people by their peers due to which people start following their opinions and lifestyles. It also refers to considering a person or his opinion above all and give him/her the priority.

Peer pressure can be both positive and negative. Like if a person is peer pressuring you for a good cause like to study, to develop your skull, or achieve something good in life then it is motivation. The person is motivating you to achieve something good in your life which is essential for the growth of a person. But sometimes peer pressure leads you to the disastrous situation if it is for the bad cause.

So there are some advantages and disadvantages of peer pressure:

ADVANTAGES OF PEER PRESSURE

Peer pressure helps you to build your character, develop your skills and get master in a particular field. It also motivates us to do a particular work in a particular field. It forces the person to cross the barriers and achieve something great. It also boost the confidence of a person as our brain consider people’s opinion and makes them priority. Peer pressure also helps in marketing sector. Many salesman and entrepreneurs use this technique to influence people to buy product. Similarly peer pressure can also built the character of a person. The main advantage of peer pressure can be in youth, as we have seen many young person doing great after influence by a person.

DISADVANTAGES OF PEER PRESSURE

It can also harm the person in many ways. If you don’t want to do any task and if you are getting continuous pressure to do that work, then you become frustated. It also hamper students career and studies if they indulge in the bad company and they are so much influenced by them that they involved in habits like drug and smoking. These habits have adverse effects on their growth and career.

So, as we can see that peer pressure has both positive and negative effects, it is very important to think about the outcome of the deed before getting influenced by peers. Apart fron this always keep your thoughts at the priority and peer pressure should always be secondary. In this way we are able to take advantage of the positive effects of peer pressure and avoid negative effects.

PEER PRESSURE

A term often read and heard about but very little pondered upon. The Cambridge dictionary defines peer pressure as ‘the strong influence of a group, especially of children, on members of that group to behave as everyone else does’. A simple definition but an impactful cycle. It plays an extremely important role in the social and emotional development of children as well as adolescents .So what exactly is a peer group? A peer group is made up of individuals who socialize together. It generally increases through childhood and reaches its intensity in the preteen and teen years. Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs defines social acceptance and acknowledgement as one of the primary needs for survival of human being in a society. This urge of social acceptance gives rise to a constant need for validation. As long as this urge is in alignment with one’s will and control, it creates a positive peer influence and the moment this urge takes over one’s ability to distinguish between the right and the wrong, it starts to create a psychological pressure. This psychological pressure exists in various forms amongst us and becomes a means to gauge what one ought to do.

Broadly classified as positive and negative, peer pressure can be spoken or unspoken and direct or indirect. While positive peer pressure leads to outcomes that are healthy, negative peer pressure leads to catastrophes. For example, if your friend constantly pushes you to eat healthy, its a positive peer influence. While a peer pressure to participate in a bike race without a driving license is a negative peer pressure. Positive peer pressure is beneficial and is also an important way to create and retain social bonds. It’s the negative peer pressure what needs attention today. You remember the last time you went for a movie with your friend despite detesting it? Or the latest college fashion wear that you had to pretend to like because it was the ‘new cool’? You might wonder what harm did it do and is it even that bad to switch priorities and likings in order to have a healthy peer group? Well, taking the above examples it actually isn’t but this is the initiation point of negative peer pressure. In most cases it starts off with incidents too minute to be reacted upon which is why the ‘initiation points’ goes completely unnoticed and neglected. What follows later leads to a devastating impinge like consumption of alcohol, drugs, cigarettes and one’s indulgence in unethical and illegal activities. The vicious cycle of peer pressure is sometimes attributed to ‘Social Stockholm Syndrome’. It is a psychological response where over the course of time, the victim starts to develop a sense of commonality with their victimizer. This sense of commonality later becomes toxic.

It isn’t always a cakewalk to shield yourself from negative peer pressure. But it isn’t a herculean task either. An individual’s environment at home greatly impacts one’s reaction when exposed to negative peer pressure. When children and adolescents have parents whom they can confide in, their psychological response towards this social infliction is more positive and less hampering in comparison to those who find it difficult to express themselves and are subjected to some or the other form of abuse at a very early age. As a parent one needs to gain their progeny’s confidence and trust. It requires small initiatives like a before bed talk every night and spending quality time with them at least on the weekends. Teens have to be taught to trust their instincts when in doubt and to say the magical word ‘NO’ when subjected to circumstances their morals don’t approve of instead of blindly following someone else’s path. Schools on the other hand, should hold more seminars on peer pressure to enable teens to identify the red flags which often come across as subtle signals. If prepared at a tender age to hold onto one’s own belief irrespective of the pressure around, negative peer pressure is one such social stigma that wouldn’t take much to eradicate.