Peer Pressure

 

What is Peer Pressure?

Peer pressure can be defined as the impact of the social group has on an individual. Children and teenagers are under social pressure to be in conformity with the group with which they socialize.  Peer pressure often includes words of encouragement, persuasion or criticism or can also be unspoken. Peer pressure mostly happen in teenagers and children. It is the stage of life where a person get influenced the most with people around him/her. The personality of an individual is influenced by whom he spends in his lifetime the most.

Peer Pressure can influence :

• The way you dress
• Your taste in music
• The activities you are involved in
• The way you talk
• Your academic performance

Peer pressure can be both positive and negative, depending on the group trying to influence an individual.

Peer pressure can be negative when when friends or acquaintances of a person try to make them do something harmful to their body, or against the law. negative peer pressure include taking drugs, beating someone, cutting classes, stealing or vandalizing. There are person who ignore their commonsense or their better judgement because "everyone is doing it". Teens often to choose to do things they know are bad for them because of their desire to be liked, to be accepted, to fit in, or because of fear of being looked down upon or made fun of.

However, peer pressure can also be positive. Friends can encourage each other to strive for higher grades in school as well as for better performance in sports or any other creative activities. Real friends helps to boost the confidence of each other. Getting feedback from the peers will help the individual to know his weakness and motivate them to become a better person.