Peer Pressure Essay

1517 words - 6 pages

PEER PRESSUREDEFINITION -A peer is a friend or acquaintance who is about the same age as you. You probably interact with peers in school or colleges. Peers influence your life, whether you know it or not, just by spending time with you. You learn from them, and they learn from you. It's only human nature to listen to and learn from other people in your age group.Peers can have a positive influence on each other. Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system, or someone on the soccer team taught you a cool trick with the ball. You might admire a friend who is always a good sport and try to be more like her. Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone's reading it. These are examples of how peers positively influence each other everyday.Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways. For example, one kid in school might try to get another to cut class with him, your soccer friend might try to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass the ball, or a kid in the neighborhood might want you to shoplift with him.Peer Pressure leads to "Good Teens Making Bad Choices" which is very common today. It is part of peer pressure and the need to fit in with othersMaking decisions on your own is hard enough, but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder. When people your own age try to influence how you act, it's called peer pressure. It's something everyone has to deal with - even adults. Read on to find out about peer pressure and how to deal with it.As you grow older, you'll be faced with some challenging decisions. Some don't have a clear right or wrong answer, like should you play soccer or field hockey? Other decisions involve serious moral dilemmas, like whether to cut class, try cigarettes, or lie to your parents.Causes Of Peer PressureSome kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked, to fit in, or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don't go along with the group. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing. The idea that "everyone's doing it" may influence some kids to leave their better judgment, or their common sense, behind.Peer pressure can be extremely strong and hard to resist. Experiments have shown how peer pressure can influence someone to change her mind from what she knows for sure is a correct answer to the incorrect answer - just because everyone else gives the incorrect answer! These studies have also shown that all it takes for someone to stand her ground on what she knows is right is for one other peer to join her. That principle holds true for people of any age in peer pressure situations.How to Walk Away From Peer Pressure ?It can be hard to walk away from peer pressure, but it can be done. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help...

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