Peer Pressure: The Effects Peer Pressure has on Adolescence Peer pressure is the influence from members of one’s peer group. Peer pressure affect many school aged children, and teenager, because of the desire to want to fit in. Affects of giving into peer pressure can lead to taking drugs, drinking alcohol, and having sex. By researching why adolescent give into peer pressure, what age peer pressure begins , what different forms of peer pressure looks like , the outcomes of peer pressure, and how to prevent adolescent giving into peer pressure. These topics will provide teachers, and parents with the awareness of peer pressure and what different areas children are being pressured. Why Adolescents give into peer pressure There are many …show more content…
Webster dictionary defines self – esteem as confidence and satisfaction in oneself (Merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-esteem). If an adolescent does not have high self-esteem he or she may become susceptible to sub coming to peer pressure to gain acceptance from their peers. “Social agents – especially peers and parents who are closets to the adolescent - both consciously and unconsciously cony and enhance appearance – related norms through direct and indirect interactions” ( Helfert & Warscgburger, 2013). If an adolescent has low self-esteem about them self they will do whatever it takes to fit in not matter the cost. Body image plays an part in giving into peer pressure as well. “Studies on social pressure have mostly derived from eating disorder and body image research, they have often concentrated on girl for whom they reported a higher amount of appearance – related influence from friend, more fear of exclusion by peer because one’s appearance” (Helfert & Warscgburger, 2013). Body image pressure not only comes from peers it can also come from society “ For females the sociocultural message of a thin body ideal is very clear. Society equates thinness with beauty and attractiveness in women. As a result, the majority of adolescent girls desire a thinner body size and many engage in weight loss behaviors in order to achieve this ideal” (Ricciardelli & McCabe, …show more content…
The research done for this study specifically focuses on smoking, underage drinking, and sex. Poor parenting practices, high levels of conflict in the family and a low degree of bonding between children and parents appear to increase risk for problem behavior including the abuse of alcohol, and other drugs (Farrell & White 1998). “Generally gateway models show that youth are likely to start with beer and cigarettes, later try marijuana still later use upper, and only then move onto drugs such as downers, PCP, or heroin” ((Farrell & White 1998) Oetting & Beauvais, 1987). Drugs are a common form of peer pressure as stated before it begins with cigarettes then develops to more harmful drugs. “ In addition, transitions to increased levels of smoking have been linked to friends’ encouragement and approval, and the message conveyed that smoking promoted popularity” ( Kobus,
Of the various possible causes for drug abuse, peer pressure is one of the main reasons young people indulge in recreational drugs. In fact, according to David Sheff,
Peer pressure is doing something that is not quite normal, but your friends pressure you into the situation because they do it. This definition of peer pressure is something that is always happening, especially with the world changing each day. Things like tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, are all possibilities that peer pressure is related to. However, in the texts “Shooting and Elephant” by George Orwell and “No Witchcraft for Sale” by Doris Lessing demonstrate peer pressure among many thing; however, there are many solutions resulting in good things compared to the bad things that have happened. Solutions to peer pressure in these texts could be many things, but the three that would work best would be: ignore the person, walk away, and lastly, know that you should not do anything you do not feel comfortable with.
One should remember that not all peer pressure is bad, although that is mostly what you see today. Good peer pressure needs to be done more, because why would you want to make someone do something bad, instead of helping them do something good and impacting them, because honestly who would want a worse world rather than a better one? Truly the way to improve our lives as human beings lies on peer pressure, it is at the core of ways we can make a change for a better, and not more for the
Criminal psychology degree programs look at each of these factors to understand how they affect youth and how these negative influences can be curtailed”.(http://criminology.regis.edu/criminology-programs/resources/crim-articles/contributing-factors-to-juvenile-crime). Peer pressure is something that makes someone feels as though they have to do a certain thing if not others may not be their friend. There are a lot of kids who have to deal with this all throughout school in order to fit in with others or to feel wanted by their friends. For example: In school, girls and boys may be pressured to have sex because all their friends are doing it and it’s cool to do and nothing will happen. After that one time she becomes pregnant, in the back of her mind she may be thinking to herself that if I would not have had sex and remained celibate this would not have happened to me. The reason why she fell for it is because of the pressure to do it from
... instead of following the majority. The issue of peer pressure can relate to teens, as they are in constant pressure to be ‘cool’ or to be in the ‘in’ group. It does not really promote individualism, so people cannot develop their own ideas but rather follow the leader of their group.
Many environmental factors contribute to a person’s proneness to substance abuse. These factors include but are not limited to stress, early physical or sexual abuse, witnessing violence, peers who use drugs, and drug availability. (Addiction Science) The desire to be accepted within a particular group often creates an enormous amount of stress in teens. This stress and feeling of alienation is a driving force towards drug use. Research has shown that, “Another important environmental factor is the amount and quality of emotional and social support a person receives. Teens who reported having an adult they trusted and could talk to, for example, have a lower risk of addiction than those who don’t.”(Environmental Factors) An impoverished environment increases the likelihood of substance abuse and addiction as well. Those who are apart of a lifestyle of poverty often experience incarceration and dropping out of school. Those who drop out of school, are unemployed or live in unsafe areas are at “higher risk, especially if their home environment has already exposed them to dru...
One of the most important reasons of teenage drug usage is peer pressure. Peer pressure makes drugs seem popular, makes you have a fear of being an outcast, and since everyone is doing it, it is the "cool" thing to do…right? Wrong. Peer pressure represents social influences that effect adolescents, it can have a positive, or a negative effect, depending on person's social group and one can follow one path of the other. We are greatly influenced by the people around us. In today's colleges, drugs are very common; peer pressure usually is the reason for their usage (www.nodrugs.com 1). If the people in your social group use drugs, there will be pressure a direct or indirect pressure from them. A person may be offered to try drugs, which is direct pressure. Indirect pressure is when someone sees everyone around him using drugs and he might think that there is noth...
Poor peer relationship can be seen as both cause and consequence of teen substance abuse. To develop in a negative and unhealthy environment can lead a person to make poor decisions, and to make poor decisions can lead a person to build a relationship with other individuals who share their same detrimental practices and who do not provide a positive peer support. To make a poor decision can lead the youth to get involve in deviant behavior due to being under the influence affect the person 's judgment and increases the chances of getting involved in delinquent
Simons-Morton, B.. (2007). Social Influences on Adolescent Substance Use. American Journal of Health Behavior, 31(6), 672-84. Retrieved May 5, 2011, from ProQuest Psychology Journals. (Document ID: 1390074281).
...wn life, peer pressure plays an enormous role in everyday society. People do unimaginable things when pressure is put on them by people that they admire. We comply and conform when brainwashed, influenced, and pressured. It creates huge and destructive problems and moral struggles as seen with Orwell, the victims of Jonestown, and the thousands of teens that fall prey to peer pressure everyday. The only way to combat peer pressure is for others to start being accountable for their own actions and for integrity to become a higher priority in day-to-day life. If society can begin to teach our youth this then we will be one step closer to eliminating the problem; however, complete elimination of peer pressure can only come when adolescents and adults alike stop being the problem, and start becoming the solution by resisting the urge to pressure and be pressured.
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” (Dr.Seuss). Society often thinks of peer pressure as a negative implement. Often times the community imagines peer pressure as teen influencing one another to experiment with drugs, alcohol, and sexual intercourse. But really all peer pressure is, is the encouragement of changing values and behaviors of an individual. Peer pressure can be thought of as positive for teens, because it allows and individual to become a leader in an environment, strong encouragement to work hard in school, and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Alert! Alert! We 've all seen it on TV shows and in the movies: a good kid with a good home and a good family life, but questionable friends. Soon enough, the kid is going out every night smoking, doing drugs, and partying. Every parenting book on the planet, it seems, has a section similar to this with warnings all over about how to save your child from the harmful, gripping effects of peer pressure. This all promotes the idea that peer pressure is damaging to school-children and teenagers. As a whole, society has become obsessed with individuals making decisions for themselves, so much so that we 've been trained to hear alarm bells when we think of peer pressure. However, though it is usually connoted as a negative influence, peer pressure perpetuates many positive qualities within a number of social situations.
They may not like the way they look in the mirror, so they want to look like someone else. Watching media and the environment all influence body image problems. When some teenagers see their friends around them and all the supermodels and stars on TV with their perfect bodies and skin, teenagers want to look like them. Often adolescents are associated with extreme behaviors and are engaging in practices that could be called dangerous.
Peer pressure is when we are influenced to do something we normally wouldn't do because we want to fit in with other people or be accepted by our peers (A peer is someone you look up to like a friend, someone in the community or even someone on TV).
There are a myriad of cultural and societal risk factors that contribute adolescent alcohol and drug use. A risk factor is defined as “any attribute, characteristic or exposure of an individual that increases the likelihood of developing a disease or injury”. These risk factors can be identified through family history of substance use disorder, sense of inferiority, pleasure seeking, low self-esteem, unemployment, poor social support, desire to experiment and poor social support (Thomas, N. L., Naregal, P. M., Mohite, V. R., Tata, S. H., Karale, R. B., & Kakade, S. V. (2015).) Risk of drug abuse increases greatly during times of transition, such as changing schools, moving, or divorce. Additional peer risk factors include gang involvement or the reinforcement of negative norms and expectations within peer group, the lack of academic...