The Effects Of Negative Peer Pressure
“When you say ‘YES’ to others make sure you aren’t saying ‘NO’ to yourself” “Come on! Let’s do it, we will have fun.” Such familiar words heard on several situations compelled me to do many things against my better judgment and I am sure you must also have done things that you regret now just because your friends thought it was exciting. When friends, acquaintances and colleagues try to influence how we act, it is referred to as peer pressure. Positive peer pressure is a situation in which encouraging friends help you to perform well and make you more goal oriented, and assist in inculcating positive morals. Peers can have both positive and negative impacts but I will focus on the negative aspects as undoubtedly they are more.
Negative peer pressure has varying repercussions ranging from a slight change in food habits to grave consequences like alcohol and drug abuse. Constantly compromising with your values and participating in activities not in line with them can have adverse effect on your academic performance also. How do we get influenced by our peers? The technique that peers use to directly pressure us are giving reasons why we should do what they are saying otherwise insulting and bullying us which makes us feel bad about not doing something.
Another way is by threatening to end a relationship or friendship. Sometimes simply seeing all your peers participate in any activity can be an indirect form of pressure. You must be thinking, ‘How did I turn into such a wimp and started agreeing to everyone else just to fit in?’ Let me make it clear that falling in to peer pressure in no way reveals that you are weak or do not have a backbone.
Researchers have found that striatum, a part of brain associated with rewards, showed higher activity when a participant beat a peer in lottery, as opposed to when the participant won alone. This research shows the level of impact peers have on us and our urge to outperform them. Another research found that animals have a tendency to join a group and to be on top of the social ranking, humans being social animals share the same trait. A large scale demonstration in history that shows the power of influence is the Holocaust, where Hitler convinced 8.5 million Nazis that it is okay to mercilessly torture and murder about 6 million Jews! In light of these findings it is clear that succumbing to peer pressure is completely normal.
Where does peer pressure prevail? The habit of fitting in starts from a very young age, an example would be enrolling in a football class because your friends told you to even though you are more interested in basketball. This pattern can worsen in high school, where I have seen girls like me stop eating or go into an adverse diet just because of body image standards set up by their peers and many boys getting introduced to vices like drinking and smoking.
Another critical effect of peer pressure is bullying, where your peers force you to bully others to act ‘cool’ or get bullied yourself if you refuse to do so. Parents involvement in high school student’s life can be a saving grace but the main challenge begins when they enter college, any person arriving into a new and unfamiliar environment such as college where their only support is their friends would be more prone to impress others and indulge in reckless activities. Addiction, smoking, drinking, drug abuse and engaging in unprotected sex due to peer pressure are frequent scenarios in a college student’s life. Even after one has left the cliquey halls of high school and college, peer pressure from coworkers is rampant in offices and work environment also. So, is peer pressure present only at an individual level? Absolutely not.
The mammoth threat to today’s world, Terrorism, is fueled by peer pressure. Plenty of teenagers and young adults join terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Taliban because of the teachings given to them and influence by their peers that justify violence. If not kept in check peer pressure can convert one into a criminal! Consistently conforming to others can cause you to lose trust from yourselves and feel uncertain about yourself leading to great emotional toil. Other feelings associated with what an individual going through peer pressure feels is sadness, anxiety leading to depression, guilt, regret, feeling like a pushover and self disappointment. It is evident by now that peer pressure can be extremely harmful but you are not the only one facing it.
How to walk away from it then? It is going to be tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure, therefore find a confidante in your own friend circle who has the same ideals. If you are alone, don’t give up, empower yourself. Inner strength and self confidence can help you stand firm, walk away and resist doing something. One more step you should take is standing up for someone other than yourself, in this way your peers will get to know what they are doing is wrong and you don’t support it.
Talking to a trusted adult or seeking advice from your teachers can be immensely beneficial. Mainly, understand your own values and beliefs and make sure you never forget them. If the peer pressure persists, it is time to change your group and fraternize with like-minded people. Lastly never be ashamed of yourself, be proud of who you are, and don’t worry about how others see you! “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest achievement”
