Peer Pressure

Negative and Positive Effects of Peer Pressure

Julio Higareda

Psychology 1

Mrs. Mosher

West Hills College Coalinga

There are two paths to choose from, one leads to the right way while the other leads you to the wrong path. Jim tells John that the right way is the cool looking one with monsters, violence and illicit drugs. James tries to persuade John that the decent path with is the one with priorities, goals and success. John thinks for a second and decides that he wants to be cool instead of responsible. He listened to Jim and before you know it he took the wrong path and chose to be cool for a while than in the long run. Such is the life of being a pressured teenager when there are people with good or bad intentions. Peer pressure affects us all in our lives and it is most potent in our teenage years. When we are growing up as children all we want is to have fun and focus more on what kind of fun will there be next instead of self-discovery or identity. As we mature then we start focusing more on what we like, our interests and who we want to be. A big portion of that is determined by our peers or who we hang around with. That is what makes us become mature adults or broken souls, “It's not unnatural for peer behavior to affect us, but following your peers blindly is not a wise thing to do”. This is when the person decides to make a decision on his own or let his peers decide for him. Will it be the best possible path or will it end up being a disappointment?

Peer pressure comes in all forms and it is best to distinguish what peer pressure is positive and which is negative. In negative peer pressure you are sometimes in an unfortunate case of being put with a group of people that think similar. Your peer group...

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...t it is beneficial, healthy and provides a little competition. No one knows how much competition can drive a person, but a healthy competition between you and your peers can benefit you by creating innovative ideas and work ethic that are much required in this world.

In a world where technology can be used to access someone with very minimal effort and persuade that person to follow their path. It is up to that person to choose if they want to be peer pressured negatively or positively. “Some people will just go with the flow of things and sway in life, while others will fight against the currents and go upstream to reach their destiny.” – Anthony L.

Bibliography

Oak, Manali. "Negative and Positive Effects of Peer Pressure." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.

Liccione, Anthony. "Quotes About Peer Pressure." (22 Quotes). Goodreads, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.