PEER PRESSURE AMONG TEENAGERS
Peer pressure can be positive or negative. If a teenager betrays personal beliefs and values, risk-taking behavior, engage in activities like smoking, drugs and alcohol, drawing him away from his family and school, it is a negative peer pressure or influence.
Peer pressure is the social influence in encouraging an individual to act or change his values or behavior in order to be in conformity with a group and the need to have the approval of such group. This is particularly common to young people, because they spend most of their time with fixed group of friends. Teenagers are struggling to be independent from their parents and at the same time striving to be accepted by his friends. Teenagers give in to peer pressure because they want to fit in or liked by their group friends or because they worry that other kids might make fun of them if they don’t conform within the group. They are also curious to try something new that they see from others. These influence kids to loose their common sense or judgment and blindly following their peers. This is the most crucial part of a person’s life because a wrong judgment will greatly affect the future of the person.
Some of traits of a person that is more vulnerable to peer pressure are lacking of self-confidence, low self-esteem, poor performance and abilities in school, unsure of ones place in a group, feeling of isolation from friends, lack of strong ties with friends and family, close friendship with a bully.
Peer pressure can have a positive or negative effect on teenagers. If a teenager is grouped to people that seeks success in school or other positive activities and ambitious in attaining a good life in the future, he is pressured to follow suit, and improve himself, making him perform well in school or whatever activities he is involved in. In the long run, making him a better person. However, if a teenager betrays personal beliefs and values, risk-taking behavior, engage in activities like smoking, drugs and alcohol, drawing him away from his family and school, it is a negative peer pressure or influence.
It is very difficult to go against these bad influences, but the teenager just needs to take a firm stand, and say “NO.” Some people may not like it when you disagree, but doing the right thing is just what it needs to be. Self-confidence in a teenager is most needed to enable to do this. Having a friend or peer with good values is a great help to resist negative peer pressure. Dealing with peer pressure successfully depends on the teenagers’ personality and character and support of family.