Relation of Conforming to Self-Esteem and Conforming to Peer Pressure

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Recommended: The Effects of Peer Pressure

A lot is known about self-esteem and conforming peer pressure separately. There is not much known about the effects of one on the other. Peer pressure, the feelings of pressure to engage in something that those you associate with are doing, when it works negatively is a large problem and can cause conflicts throughout life. Conforming to peer pressure can have both positive and negative effects. The pressure can cause a person who conforms to make themselves better or worse.
Many factors influence a person’s susceptibility to succumb to peer pressure. A person’s likelihood to be influenced can be affected by their level of self-esteem or their positive/ negative view of themselves. If a person conforms to peer pressure easily and has a low self-esteem level it may be beneficial to attain extra extrinsic support against peer pressure, especially in cases where the peer pressure influences a person negatively. This extrinsic support is reinforcement from an outside source to do or not do something. It is possible that those with high self-esteem are just less likely to be susceptible to peer pressure because they do not care what others think. In contrast lower self-esteem can cause people to devalue their own opinion and it may be associated with a higher rate of conformity.
Problems Caused by Low Self- Esteem Levels
Those with low levels of self-esteem are also known to have other problems in their lives, either in school/work or social situations. A person who has low levels of self-esteem is known to be susceptible to other so called deviant behaviors including poor grades and alcoholism and other substance use. It was found that high levels of self-esteem correlates negatively with the factors listed above, meaning that those ...

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...nal autonomy from parents. Youth and Society, 45, 286-302. DOI 10.1177/0044118X11417733
Heatherton, T. F., & Polivy, J. (1991). Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 895. DOI 10.1037/0025-3514.60.6.895
Kosten, P. A., Scheier, L. M., & Grenard, J. L. (2012). Latent class analysis of peer conformity: Who is yielding to pressure and why?, Youth & Society, 45, 565-590. DOI 10.1177/0044118X12454307
Sim, T. N. (2000). Adolescent psychosocial competence: The importance and role of regard for parents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 10, 49-64. DOI 10.1207/SJRA1001_3
Zimmerman, M. A., Copeland, L. A., Shope, J. T., & Dielman, T. E. (1997). A longitudinal study of self-esteem: Implications for adolescent development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 26, 117-141. DOI 10.1023/A:1024596313925

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