What Is Peer Pressure?

Peer pressure can affect your child's behavior in positive and negative ways

Peer pressure is the influence wielded by people within the same social group. It is also
the term used to describe the effect this influence has on a person to conform in order
to be accepted by the group. Often, peers are thought of as friends, but peers can be
anyone of a similar status, such as people who are the same age, who have the same
abilities, or who share a social status.

Peer pressure is commonly thought of in a negative light, but in reality, it's not always a
bad thing. Sometimes peer pressure is used to positively influence people, such as
when teens work toward common goals such as doing well in school or helping out in
their community. Learning about acceptable group norms can be a positive part of
learning how to live with and socialize with other people.

The way your child (or you, for that matter) responds to peer pressure can indicate who
they are as an individual. Natural leaders tend to be less susceptible to bad forms of
peer pressure, while followers may have a harder time resisting it.

Peer pressure can have both a positive or negative influence.

Signs of Peer Pressure

Peer pressure can range from subtle to overt, which means that some forms of peer
pressure can be easier to spot than others. Being able to identify signs that your child is
dealing with peer pressure may help you start a supportive conversation.

Some signs that your child may be experiencing peer pressure include:

Avoiding school or other social situations

Being very image-conscious
Changes in behavior
Expressing feeling like they don't fit in
Low moods
Making social comparisons
Trouble sleeping
Trying out new hair or clothing styles

Many of the signs of peer pressure can also be signs of other things, like bullying or
mental health concerns. Any changes in behavior or mood are worth investigating.

Types of Peer Pressure

Most kids have a strong desire to fit in and are especially sensitive to being picked on,
made fun of, or ostracized. Consequently, they're often eager to do the things their
peers tell them to do.

Research has drawn attention to the significant role of peers in influencing prosocial
behaviors. When peers endorse positive and altruistic behavior, young people are more
likely to engage in those behaviors, even when their peers are not watching.

Positive Peer Pressure

Positive peer pressure is when someone's peers encourage them to do something

positive or push them to grow in a beneficial way.

Here are a few examples of positive peer pressure:

Pushing a friend to study harder so they can get better grades

Getting an after-school job and convincing friends to get a job too
Saving money for a big purchase like a car and encouraging friends to do the
same
Disapproving of bigoted jokes or gossiping
Discouraging illegal or risky behavior, like under-age drinking or smoking

Negative Peer Pressure

Negative peer pressure, on the other hand, involves pressure to do something

dangerous or damaging to themselves or others.

Here some examples of negative peer pressure:

Convincing a friend to skip school

Encouraging a peer to fight or bully someone
Getting friends to engage in sexting
Pressuring a friend to drink or try drugs
Pushing someone to buy e-cigarettes online

Impact of Peer Pressure

As your child grows older, their peers will play a bigger role in their life. Friends can
influence everything from what kind of music kids listen to and what their hobbies are to
what they wear, how they spend their time, and how they talk.

Mental health concerns and gender socialization may influence how receptive a young
person is to peer pressure. Additionally, peer pressure can play a role in bullying. For
example, research indicates that adolescent boys are more susceptible to pressure for
risk-taking behaviors. However, both boys and girls are also receptive to peer pressure
across a huge spectrum of behaviors and beliefs, such as what to wear, how to act, and
what behavior is acceptable.

However, it's important to remember that peer pressure can have both negative and
positive impacts.

Benefits

Some of the potential benefits of peer pressure include the following:

Advice: Friends can be a great support as kids try out new things, explore new
ideas, or need someone to help them work through a challenging problem.
Encouragement: Peers can push each other to do new things, like trying out
for the soccer team or the school play.
Friendship and support: Feeling supported by someone who accepts us for
who we are can boost self-esteem.
Gaining new experiences: Sometimes we need a little shove to do something
we really want to do but don't quite have the courage.
Modeling good examples: Friends help each other be better people when they
frown upon negative behaviors like gossiping or insensitive jokes and
instead encourage positive behaviors.
Practicing socialization: Learning about different social norms helps us know
how to adapt to different situations and decide which groups we want to
spend time with and which ones we don't.

Drawbacks

Possible negative aspects of peer pressure include the following:

Anxiety and depression: Being around people who pressure us to do things

we aren't comfortable with can make us feel anxious and depressed.2
Arguments or distance from family and friends: Negative peer pressure
tends to make us feel bad about ourselves, and this can cause us to
withdraw from people we care about.
Distractions from academics: Peer pressure can sometimes cause us to
move our focus from our priorities because we're engaged in things we
wouldn't normally do or distracted by thoughts about peer pressure.
Pressure to engage in risky behavior: Friends may pressure each other to do
things like drink, try illicit drugs, engage in unsafe sexual activity, or drive
recklessly.
Problems with self-esteem and self-confidence: Constantly feeling pressure
to do things that go against our values can make us feel bad about
ourselves.
Sudden changes in behavior: Trying to conform to a peer's norms might
prompt a person start acting and looking like someone else.
 Unhappiness with appearance: If our peers are fixating on appearance, we
may feel inadequate and want to change how we look in order to fit in.

Tips for Coping With Peer Pressure

It's important to prepare for dealing with peer pressure. Being able to spot signs of peer
pressure will allow you to intervene when you recognize that your child or someone you
care about is headed down an unhealthy road.

Some strategies that may be useful for helping someone cope with peer pressure might
include:

Plan ahead: Have them think about the things they might be pressured to do
that they don't want to. Plan ahead for ways to deal with the pressure. Ask
them to think of how they might leave a situation if it becomes
uncomfortable. Identify a support person that they could call.
Give an excuse: Have them develop a canned excuse for why they can't
participate in something they don't want to do. For example, some families
have an arrangement where if kids text their parents a certain pre-planned
word or phrase, the parent will call to say something has come up and they
need to come home.
Build friendships with the right people: People who share your child's values
are less likely to be the people who will bully them into doing things they
don't want to do.
Rely on trusted adults: Help your child identify which adults in their life are
safe and accessible for when they need to talk or when they need help
getting out of a tricky situation.

Talk to your kids about peer pressure. Teach your child how to say no, help them
develop the skills to think independently, and encourage self-confidence. If you suspect
that your child or another person that you love is being affected negatively by peer
pressure, let them know you are someone they can trust and offer to make a plan for
getting out of a bad situation.

A Word From Verywell

While peer pressure can be difficult, it isn't always a bad thing. Positive peer pressure
can be a valuable part of learning how to socialize and even growing as a person. The
type of peer pressure your child is experiencing depends on the peer group they
socialize with as well as the larger social groups they interact with, both in person and
online.
If you suspect that your kids are struggling with negative peer pressure, encourage
them to talk to you. Sometimes kids don't want to talk to their parents about peer
pressure. If that's the case, don't take it personally. Encourage them to talk about it with
another trusted adult, like a teacher, a school counselor, a doctor, or a therapist.

Pangilinan, Camila Jean F.

12- STEM Faraday

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