Category: Peer pressure

Normal child development and development of delinquent behavior are greatly influenced by individual, social, and communal circumstances and their relationships influence the behavior. Comprehensive studies suggest that behavior, including antisocial and delinquent characteristics, results from a complex relation of personal biological and genetic elements and environmental elements, from the fetal stages of development to adulthood. Biological development is influenced by the environmental elements, which act together to influence one’s behavior. Most children attain adulthood without being involved in grave delinquent behavior, even when subjected to multiple risk factors. The risk elements at play may be used to identify the children who are in dire need of preventive interventions, but they cannot point out the children who will be involved in chronic offenses. Most adult offenders were once involved in delinquent behavior at their age, but not all children and adolescents involved in delinquent behavior turn out to be criminals in their adulthood (Shoemaker, pg. 4).

During my young and adolescent stages in life, I haven’t been involved in any delinquency behavior or a crime of any kind, I have strived to live the “straight and narrow” lifestyle. I have been exposed to some risk factors at various stages of growth, factors as peer pressure and violent social circles, but this didn’t pressure me to engage in delinquent behaviors. The chances of engaging in crimes could have increased if I was exposed to more risk factors like poor school attendance, poor education standards, family violence, substance abuse which majorly results from peer pressure, and social economic factors where delinquent behaviors are more common in poorer neighborhoods. My personality trait describes a calm person, not exhibiting antisocial and aggressive behaviors which are some of the personal risk factors that can pressure a child or adolescent to engage in crimes.

Anomie theory

The term anomie was used to define the nonexistence of social guidelines, or normlessness, but was later revised to describe the consequences of a nonfunctional relationship between one’s goals and the genuine process of achieving them. Two features of social and cultural layout have been emphasized; the goals defined based on culture, like monetary success, and the legitimate means like education of achieving the said goals. Within our societal context, success goals are widely distributed but the means and opportunities of hitting the goals are not widely shared. This theory is utilized in explaining why adolescents and young adults engage in delinquent behaviors and the reason why some groups are categorized as being more delinquent than others. The members of the lower class exhibit the highest disparity between goals and means of achieving them, hence exhibiting the highest rates of delinquent behavior as they result in to use of unlawful in place of lawful processes (Siegel and Brandon, pg104).

Subculture theory

This theory is based on the assumption that children of the lower class, who are likely to be in the delinquent subculture category, initially experience a failure to hit the expectations when they enter school. When evaluated against the middle class, they are found to be below average, which results in an increasing feeling of frustration based on their status. This not only applies in school but within the general society too. A juvenile who fails to attain the socially set standards falls off from society and seeks validation from a subculture, which consists of other societal “misfits”. As the lower-class children lack preparation from their earliest experiences on how to fulfill the middle-class anticipations, the delinquent subculture is established as a substitute category of values that the lower-class adolescents can meet. These sub-cultural values signify a complete abandonment of middle-class standards by establishing the opposite category of prestige. It results in the frustrations of failure (Siegel and Brandon, pg106).

I didn’t engage in these behaviors as I considered and have always considered them unlawful, for exhibiting delinquent behavior is a crime. Brushing the wrong side of the law will result in unwanted consequences like being jailed, and spoiling my reputation which will hurt my career in the future and this will also be disobeying my parents. The motivation for living a positive lifestyle has been motivated by my will to do good, abide by the set rules and regulations, and conform to the positive societal norms, which I have learned since my childhood. I haven’t deviated from the social norms, but I do question some of the norms that I feel don’t have good moral standards, like discrimination based on gender. My traits and the background in which I have been brought up are the main contributors to my resistance to engaging in delinquent behaviors.

My lack of engaging in delinquent behaviors is dictated by the fact that I have grown up having access to most means of achieving the goals I set, from excellent academic performance to short-term goals like participating in clubs and societies. The Anomie theory states that delinquent behavior arises when one can’t access the right means to achieve their goals, and more so those in the lower financial classes, and the opposite is true. I have had access to financial and social support from the people around me, a factor that has been crucial in my journey of attaining my goals. The focus on working and improving on the means at hand has kept me from engaging in activities that might entice me to engage in crimes. Also, coming from a relatively well-off background, I had the obligation of maintaining a good reputation, which meant I had to abide by the set rules and the norms instilled in me by my parents and society. An example is ensuring am disciplined in school, which translates to a peaceful learning environment and hence excellent grades.

The subculture theory is greatly promoted by peer pressure. When I joined the school, my academic performance was above average, a factor that had been contributed by my background upbringing. The ability to excel in most of the things I focus on has assisted me in adjusting well to societal standards and avoiding giving in to peer pressure. The early experience that was subjected to by my parents has also helped in establishing a concrete foundation in me, which has been crucial in adjusting to the social standards and ensuring performance in what I do. The desire to be different positively, and to exhibit positive and admirable traits has always encouraged me to keep away from negative peer pressure. During the times I have failed to achieve some of my goals, I have managed to fight the frustrations and in case I have deviated from the set social norms, I have always tried to retrace my steps. As delinquent subculture is a category of individuals exhibiting behaviors that contradict societal norms, I have been weary of these groups.

Work Cited

1. Shoemaker, Donald J. Theories of Delinquency. 1st ed. Oxford University Press, 2009. Online. Internet. 5 Jan. 2019. .
2. Siegel, Larry J., and Brandon C. Welsh. Juvenile Delinquency: The Core. 1st ed. Cengage Learning, 2016. Online. Internet. 5 Jan. 2019.

Drugs are shaping the way that kids are growing up in today’s age, some of the main reasons for kids starting drug addiction include depression, anxiety, stress, peer pressure, life circumstances, stress, and teenagers following trends. If we want to stop this drug problem then we have to understand the root causes for why teenagers are starting drugs and focus on those problems. If we can help to target the real root cause of kids starting drugs then maybe we can help to eliminate drug use, substance abuse, vaping, and teenage addiction.

Mental/emotional health can be a cause for drug addictions. If a kid were to have a mental/emotional health issue and they were ashamed of it they would probably go to drugs and alcohol for a way to calm themselves down. As kids go to the drugs more and more they will be more likely to have an addiction. Depression and anxiety are also a big influence on teenagers. About 20% of high school teenagers experience depression, but only 30% are being treated for it. teenagers may also not have good coping mechanisms. Good coping mechanisms include sports, art, and extracurricular activities. If a teenager lives in an area where youth activities and sports are not common they may turn to drugs because they do not have healthier coping mechanisms.

Childhood and the way they were raised can also affect drug use. If somebody was raised in a loving, caring home, then they probably will not turn to drugs when a problem or severe amount of stress is laid on their shoulders. If they had a supportive family. On the other hand, if someone was raised in a household where nobody ever cared about them, or paid attention to their problems, they might turn to drugs as a coping mechanism for their anxiety. They will feel like they have no one to turn to. Also, kids are heavily influenced by their parents. If someone was raised in a house where people smoked or drank, they might think it’s good or acceptable to do so. They may also not realize the harmful effects that come along with smoking, drinking, or using drugs. They might not be influenced by their parents telling them not to. Or, their parents might just not care about it, or even if the parents do, the teenagers might not take them seriously because they have seen their parents do it a lot.

Teenage drug use is also impacted by access to drugs. If a teenager is growing up in a community where lots of people use or sell drugs, it may impact drug use because it is easier to access. A national survey of high schoolers said that close to half of high school students knew somebody who sold drugs. Teenagers may also find drugs in their own homes. This doesn’t necessarily always mean alcohol, it can mean prescription drugs. In 2018, 9.90% of high school seniors misused prescription drugs within the past year, and 4.20% of high school seniors misused prescription drugs within the past month. Besides, teenagers can order drugs/substances on the internet without their parent’s knowledge.

Common trends in drugs/drug use also affect teenagers. Common trends may also affect the way teenagers see drugs. Some of these common trends associated with drugs/drug use include vaping companies commonly claiming that their products are healthier than smoking but in the short amount of time that vaping has been around, more than 150 teenagers have been hospitalized across the United States. There are more and more horrible side effects that are starting to be revealed like impaired memory, difficulties problem-solving, and even increased risk of heart disease. In addition, flavored vapes and e-cigarettes also attract teenagers. Flavors like cotton candy, gummy bears, cool cucumber, fruit, mint, and bubble gum may be the reason teenagers have started vaping. Forty-three percent of kids who have vaped say that they did it for the “fun” flavors. There are 7,700 flavors that teenagers can pick from. Also, teenagers start vaping because they see celebrities advertising it on social media. Many influencers and celebrities take pictures vaping or with vapes in their hands.

Peer pressure also has a big impact on drug use. Many teenagers want to do what they see others doing to fit in. Cocaine makes you happy and the people who use it have a positive outlook on life. This makes teenagers want to do it because they see other teens happy and they want to be happy too. You only have to use a non-addictive drug, but then people realize that the way cocaine makes you feel is addictive even though cocaine dealers claim that the drug is not. The Canadian Lung Association did a study on how peer pressure impacts smoking and vaping among teens. They found that 70 percent of teenagers started smoking because of peer pressure, or because they have friends who smoked. Only 10 percent said that they started smoking on their own without having friends who smoked. Two of the main reasons kids between the ages of 12 and 17 started smoking are because they thought it was cool, or because their friends did it. There are many reasons that teenagers start to do drugs and alcohol but peer pressure is the most common one. Many people will plan what they will say if someone offers them drugs, but when they are in the moment it is not some horrible scary thing it is just you at a party with close friends who are all doing drugs and then offering some to you. Friends have the power to get you to do the things that you don’t want to do in disguise as being normal or doing what everyone else has done.

Drugs are things that are not going away. We have lived with them for years and have never been able to get rid of them. Family circumstances and trends are all root causes that have caused drugs to reach their way into the public and private education systems. Things like peer pressure have things have kids taking drugs that will get them addicted for life. If we try to help make sure that all kids have a loving caring support system surround themselves with the right kind of friends or stop believing these trends that the drug companies put out there then maybe we can begin to stop the hold drugs have on children these days. Maybe we can make it easier for the next generation.

People believe the teenage years to be a difficult time for young adolescents because there are a lot of changes going on in their bodies and minds. They are making choices about who and what type of person they will become. A friend, or group of friends, can be a large factor in how teenagers make their decisions. As a whole, society regards having relationships, platonic or romantic, as a significant part of a person’s life. In adolescence, children and teenagers often form friend groups that reflect the person they will become and how they make decisions. Comic books that focus on young adolescent group dynamics such as the superhero teams The Teen Titans, the Young Justice League, and the Runaways are all prime examples of a group of like-minded and capable teenagers who heavily rely on each other. Although they have super capabilities, they still fall victim to the chaos of puberty, peer pressure, and forming their ethical ideals. Every day small and large decisions must be made, however, to teenagers any choice can seem like the end of the world. The ethical dilemma presented in the choices teenagers must make shows that the decisions can shape a person into who they become in their adult lives. Whether the choice is to give in to peer pressure, be a leader versus a follower, or deal with the trust and betrayal of a group member.

Peer pressure, conforming to a person or group’s ideal, does not always have to be a bad thing. In every adolescent’s life, they will be pressured into either good habits or bad habits. Some of the good habits include being more assertive, trying new activities, or stepping out of their comfort zone. In the 2017 comic, Young Justice Book One, Secret was a prime example of how a group could help another member push themselves from what they were used to. While talking with the Red Tornado, Secret discovered the origins of the superheroes of the Young Justice League (YJL), Robin, Superboy, and Impulse’s powers and how they decided to use them for good. During Secret’s discussion about her disbelief in her capabilities to be a hero, a girl yelled for help from outside, and without hesitation, Secret went to save her. The Red Tornado commented, “Well, you didn’t seem to need to think too carefully about what to do there.” To which Secret responded, “Yeah! It was like a split second and I suddenly just knew what to do! That must be what it’s like for others, just knowing what was right.” After hearing the stories about the YJL, Secret was moved to act as they did on missions when a civilian needed help. She was able to push her doubts about herself out of her mind and worked on instinct to help those in need because of the role models the boys were to her. The pressure Secret felt to be as good and heroic as the boys, pushed her to release the doubts she had about herself and take a step in the direction of the type of person she wanted to be.

Although peer pressure can be a good thing at times, the activities one can be swayed towards can be harmful and detrimental to a person’s moral growth. In, World Without Grown-Ups, the children of the world woke up to find every adult gone. Most young adolescents tried things their parents deemed as unsafe or ‘grown-up’ activities. One child, Justin, was on the roof of a house with two other adolescents who were pressuring him to jump off with an umbrella. The girl called Justin “too much of a baby to be a superhero,” which was the last straw and he jumped. Luckily, the superhero Mary Marvel swooped in to catch him. When teenagers have people around them who care about their well-being, those friends would not ask another member to put themselves in harm’s way. By choosing friends who care about one another’s well-being, they are more likely to have a greater support system going into their adult lives. The concept is slightly different for supers because they intentionally put themselves in harm’s way and they do it for the greater good. In, The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, the Teen Titans are on a mission to stop Brother Blood and the H.I.V.E. Member of the Teen Titans, Tara Markov was being squeezed to death by Blood’s monster and Cyborg comes to her rescue. Surprised, Tara said to Cyborg, “You saved me… you saved me.” Cyborg replied, “You would done the same, kid.” Whether or not Tara would have also saved Cyborg, she realized that for them to work as a cohesive unit and make it out of a mission alive, they must work together. During the mission against Blood, Tara understood the importance of being there for the team and the impact helping each other had on a mission. The choices the Teen Titans were faced with daily were not overtly synonymous with the choices regular human adolescents face. However, the paths or decisions they make can have lasting impacts on their future endeavors.

Problems can arise when it comes to group friendships or teams, and who the leader should be, or if there should be one at all. In every friend group, there is someone who views themselves as a leader and others who are followers. When choosing a leader, there is not always a group consensus and the leader can then have doubts about their capabilities. The author Joseph Allen from the article, Leaders and Followers in Adolescent Close Friendships, states, “Finally, failure to establish autonomy in handling disagreements in important peer relationships appears likely to lead to depressive symptoms related to increasingly doubting oneself and one’s capacity to take one’s place within an emerging social world.” As people grow and develop into adulthood, they can struggle to find their place or doubt their idea of what their respective positions should be in a group dynamic.

In the first panel of, Runaways: Dead End Kids, the narrator explained that “Nico Minoru leads the, ah, ‘team’. Child of the Dark Wizards now controls the Staff of One. Adept at spells. Possibly not so much at leading.” Later on, Nico revealed to fellow runaway, Karolina Dean, that she “sucks so bad” and “folded in that meeting.” Nico tried her best but the pressure to be a perfect leader for their group made her choose a course of action the entire group did not agree to. She then had to realize her mistake and live with them. If a leader is chosen, other members may worry about how they fit into the group and what they bring to the dynamic. In, The New Teen Titans: Judas Contract, mutant and team member, Beast Boy, unveiled his feelings about being the least useful and successful person with shape-shifting powers. Beast Boy said to Tara Markov, “Look at the rest of the Titans. They’d be successful even without their powers. Mine are just a fluke of bad luck. The side effects of a medicine designed to save my life.” To which Tara responded, “So, you’ve got yourself an inferiority complex, eh? The only time anyone’s better’n you are when you let ‘em be.” She acknowledged Beast Boy’s doubt in his capabilities but tried to show him it was all in the way he viewed his situation. The urge to be a part of a pack is deeply ingrained in the human psyche, going back to the days of early civilization and having safety in numbers. As society has developed, the relationships and groups formed are more for the emotional well-being of a person. With the stress and hardship of saving humanity, the teenagers have banded together to keep each other safe and be there whenever needed.

A close-knit group of friends, especially those who rely on each other to save citizens and humanity, need to have trust but may trust too much. Through research, it is shown that friendships are the first relationships teens form outside of their families. People are born into their families without a choice, but they can choose who they want to be friends with. At the beginning of The New Teen Titans: Judas Contract, the Teen Titans were in combat with H.I.V.E members. Tara aided Wonder Girl by taking down an enemy that was going to “ventilate” her. Wonder Girl then responded, “Thanks, Terra – that’s why we’re a team.” Tara said in return, “Yeah. Well, if it weren’t for me, you’d be daisy fertilizer. So why do I feel like an outsider? And I don’t mean like my brother, geo-force.” Kid Flash acknowledged what Tara said and told Wonder Girl that Tara was “one of us.” By working alongside the Teen Titans, Tara was able to gain the group’s trust and show that she held the same values they did. The choice to allow Tara to join seemed to be a group consensus, but Raven had reservations about her true intentions. Without proof of Tara’s foul purpose, Raven kept the suspicion to herself to not upset the group dynamic. She did however make Tara aware of her feelings, “If I were certain of my feelings, I would have informed the Titans months ago, but I will not accuse anyone when I cannot be certain of myself.” Tara had been working with the Titans for months and it was not until the final battle against Blood that Tara’s true betrayal was revealed. By not wanting to cause rifts in the group and place doubt where there might not be any, Raven kept to herself and did not alert anyone in the group and placed the Teen Titans in unknown harm by doing so.

Dick was the first to figure out the truth about Tara through Adeline and Joseph’s story. Although it was hard to believe at first, Dick realized the honesty in the story and it pushed him to rejoin the Titans and become Nightwing. Although Dick was overwhelmed with the realization that Tara had betrayed them he had to make another decision of whether or not to trust Joseph. Weighing the outcomes, Dick decided to extend his trust once more in hopes it would aid his friends. Other members of the team found it hard to believe that Tara was capable of betrayal. During the final battle, Beast Boy at one point tried to help Tara defeat Slade because he believed she was pretending to be on his side. Beast Boy turned into an elephant and said, “I knew you were only putting on an act. I knew you were on our side. C’mon, nothing can stop us now, kid. Hear that, Termy? Terra’s with the Titans, pal – She’s one of us!” To which Tara responded, “You stupid moron. I’ve never been with you! I’ve hated you.” Confused, Beast Boy asked Tara why, but she retaliated and said there was no reason other than she only felt hate. Although Tara announces the true nature of her chaotic insanity, the other Titans still attempt to help and encourage her to believe they can find a solution. Raven and Wonder Girl went as far as to lasso her and offer healing to her soul. In the end, Tara rejected all help and buried everything, including herself, leaving a hole in the Teen Titans. Friendships come with benefits and disadvantages but the fallout from negative friendships can be detrimental. Dick chose to trust Joseph, which in turn helped save his friends, but he made a choice to trust Tara which placed his friends in harm’s way. Not every choice for people will be as life-threatening as the one Dick made, however, the outcome can be life-changing for everyone.

Every day choices are made from the moment a person wakes up. The choices can range from, what they should wear to what kind of career they want to pursue. In young adolescents, the decision from a choice can be a deciding factor in who they become as adults. Friendships can be a deciding factor in what type of benefit someone brings to society. By surrounding themselves with friends and partners who hold moral values, one can determine the path they take into adulthood. For the Teen Titans and the YJL, the path they took was one of heroism and courage. The depiction of teenagers forming friend groups is accurately portrayed in the comics because it shows the good and the bad of a life-altering stage in life. Although teenagers may fail miserably at times, the support given throughout a group is what helped not only the Teen Titans and YJL, but everyday teenagers trying to survive the hardships of everyday life.

Introduction

According to Goldberg (2018) drug and substance abuse can be defined as a disease that affects one’s brain as well as behavior. Once addicted to a specific substance or drug no matter how much damage it might be causing to the participant’s body both physically and mentally, it becomes almost impossible to fight or resist the desire or craving to use it. At first, it may be just an experimental phase where the participant just wanted to experiment with a specific drug just to experience the feeling of euphoria that one time but in most cases not all people who try drugs experimentally are mentally strong enough to say that just the one-time experience was enough and in turn leads to the person constantly chasing and craving that feeling of euphoria or looking for a better feeling that last longer and satisfies their need for the drug. In this essay, the focus will be on all the variables that contribute to the addiction to drugs and substances among teenagers in high schools and universities in the Boksburg area. The main variables that I will be focused on are mainly the family-related variables which include relationships between parents and children, conflict within a household between members of the household, lack of or poor parental monitoring of adolescents, parents excessively spoiling their children with much more than they need, I will also be focusing on external variables outside of the household being a mixture of peer pressure and factors from the area or community in which we are investigating.

Literature Review

Relationship between parent and child

According to Alhyas (2015), the relationship between parents and their children has an effect in the long run of an adolescent’s life on substance and drug abuse. In the study which was conducted by Alhyas (2015), she found that most of the adolescents who used substances had prior conflicts with their parents and or very poor relationships with their parents. Some of the participants in her study stated that if their parents were more hands-on on, supportive of their children’s unwanted behavior as opposed to punishment it would have made a difference in their addiction battle. Other participants stated that there was a need for a high level of parental monitoring of their children as a protective measure against substance abuse. Relationships between a parent and adolescents play a big role in the psychological development of adolescents e.g. an adolescent who is shown continuous love and dedication from a parent is less likely to fall into drug abuse or substance abuse as opposed to a child whose parents have never shown any affection or interest in their own child’s life thus leading the adolescent to wonder and question themselves as to why they are neglected or hardly paid attention to. Parental monitoring is one of the most important factors when it comes to relationships between parents and adolescents, adolescents need parents to focus on them to teach them right from wrong in all factors of life, parents who apply themselves to their children’s lives often see their children grow into responsible adults due to the attention that was paid to them at a young age versus parents who give their children too much freedom and neglect the well-being of their child regret the relationship they had with their child when their child turns to drugs or substances as an escape. However, as Alhyas’s study suggests parents who are involved in their adolescent’s lives also fall victim to their children becoming addicted to substances or drugs due to parents spoiling their adolescents and giving them too much freedom in terms of providing them with large amounts of pocket money or spending money at a time and or allowing them to come and go as they please. Adolescents who are spoiled with too much allowance often fall trapped in drug or substance abuse due to them having money or funds constantly available to support their bad habits as drugs and substances don’t come very cheap, on the other hand too much freedom has also proved to affect adolescents negatively due to them being allowed to do whatever they want they often fall into the wrong company or become acquaintances with others who have already fallen victim to drug and substance abuse.

Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is defined by Rook (2016) as a strategy by which any group influences its members. Those who happen to be on the receiving end sooner or later change their behavior to fit into the group. Regrettably, a group of peers rarely pressure each other into changes that are good for example pressuring each other to strive for better grades or to meet deadlines on time, rather they find themselves being pressured into anything from smoking a cigarette to smoking marijuana or partaking in prescribed pills for a euphoric feeling. Adolescents are most likely to fall victim to peer pressure due to the importance placed on popularity among students in high schools and universities, adolescents would much rather be forced into trying illegal substances and do it instead of being rejected or isolated by other peers because they refused to partake in whatever was being offered. Although peer pressure is mainly linked to physical interaction with other peers it is not limited to that, peer pressure on social media sites is becoming increasingly high risk, teens who attend high school or university are extremely technologically forward in terms of social media which range anywhere from Instagram to Snapchat or Twitter, etc. Adolescents are exposed to pictures, videos, or tweets daily that illustrate that drinking or smoking marijuana or even trying pills are perceived as being cool, which in turn leads to popularity, constantly being exposed to these illustrations daily is eventually going to promote or convince an adolescent that participating in such behavior has become a norm or just another way to display popularity among peers, this had become known as digital peer pressure. A survey conducted by The National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University revealed, that 75% of teens seeing pictures of teens partying with alcohol or marijuana on social networking sites encouraged them to do the same, Jaslow (2012). However, when we speak about peer pressure it does not exclusively refer to adolescents or kids/teenagers it affects many adults as well, that statement the encouragement may come from everyday surroundings, where one resides, or with whom one is living or stays. When a person who no longer qualifies as a minor is affected by peer pressure it is usually to experience the feeling they felt the first time they experimented with a specific substance, in some cases couples who are living together or are married look to drugs as an escape from the everyday pressures of life and think that it will help them achieve peace in the relationship or to solve common problems such as everyday fighting. When discussing peer pressure we have to also take into consideration the mentality of different people about the way one thinks and acts in certain situations they are placed in and the level of self-control one possesses or does not possess at all, for example, people who act impulsively and make decisions very fast without evaluating where/what their decision will lead them to often are amongst the first to fall into the trap of peer pressure and are more likely than others to experiment or start using drugs or substances again.

Substance accessibility

Accessibility to drugs and substances is now more than ever before according to Keller (2015), for adolescents to get their hands on but the question is how? The first place that most adolescents find prescribed drugs is right under our noses, at home. One of the easiest ways for adolescents to access drugs and alcohol is in their own homes, and in most cases it’s not even dad or mum’s liquor cupboard that is attracting their attention. It’s the family medication cabinet where anything from leftover pills from dad’s surgery can be found to painkillers or sleeping tablets, adolescents view prescription medication as being safe because it came from the doctor. Another one of the most popular drugs that are abused is prescribed cough mixtures which contain codeine and promethazine, the popular way of consuming the cough mixture is to mix it with a fizzy drink and some candy to sweeten its taste. Social media and the internet are another source that makes drugs readily available in today’s age, with whatever you may be looking for just being a few clicks away. Social media sites such as Facebook make drugs readily available for anyone who has the funds to buy them, ranging anything from marijuana to Xanax, through the use of secret pages or groups created by dealers of such substances, however, some are not even secretive about the business they are conducting, one can simply type into the search block what you’re looking for and it will pop up. If not through the use of social media the other alternative would be the internet where you can find anything from an organ to a weapon to drugs known as the dark web. Another place we overlook very often is our high schools and university campuses, a normal person would assume that these places would be safe because after all they are sending their children there but they are wrong, high schools and university campuses have become major hotspots for acquiring illegal substances. Many students start selling illegal substances as a way of obtaining extra income as students who do not have a steady income or work.

Environment

Stress is induced by stressful environments, which in turn affects people and their behavior (Jaffe, 2018). When we speak about the environment about drug abuse we are speaking about external factors that surround us daily in our everyday lives. The research conducted by (Jaffe, 2018) states that individuals who associate with others who frequently abuse drugs are more than likely to adopt and participate in this behavior as it is seen as a norm. A few of the environmental factors that are or come into play when we speak about drug addiction are groups of peers with whom you associate yourself. When individuals are heavily reliant on social interaction they often tend to attract or join the wrong crowd of peers who regularly partake in different kinds of drugs or heavy substance abuse whether it be adolescents or adults and with this, it becomes harder for an individual to remove themselves or leave a particular situation. When an individual is influenced by others to try or experiment with a specific drug or substance it creates a sense of belonging within the individual which is directly connected to the peers with whom they associate. Another external factor relating to the environment is social media. Social media has several social benefits but with this, it also has several social cons. Individuals who struggle daily with problems relating to their emotions for example depression, social media can have a very negative effect on them when they log onto their Instagram, Facebook, etc., and see people regularly who are good-looking and enjoying their lives, having fun, go out every weekend, it can cause further damage to the individual in terms of affecting their self-esteem as a person. When individuals are suffering from emotional battles such as depression, self-esteem and self-worth are very important factors, emotional problems often lead individuals to turn to drugs as an escape from everyday problems they may face and give them a few hours of euphoria/happiness or peace of mind which they struggle to find anywhere else. But it is not only social media that has its downfall, media in general has a great downfall whether it be about what is shown on television, movies, or even simple things like video games, all of these factors portray spectacles of drug or substance abuse making it look okay or cool in the eyes of viewer. But when speaking about the environment the most important factor is the physical environment, some areas are more drug-infested compared to others in the entire world and every country. When areas are more prone to having drugs available to purchase it becomes more of a norm for residents residing in the specific area, they may not like it but have no control over it. In areas where drugs and substances are freely available, an individual is more than likely to come into contact with them or more likely to fall victim to addiction.

Trauma

Trauma can be defined as a psychological, emotional reaction to an incident or experience that is severely stressful or disconcerting. Traumatic events can include, abuse physically, verbally, or sexually, neglect, accidents, and natural disasters. Drug abuse and substance abuse are most of the time more common and found more in individuals who have or are currently suffering from psychological trauma. When trauma is experienced early in life it increases an individual’s likelihood to fall victim to drug abuse. Trauma can happen to any individual from different walks of life whether rich or poor, regardless of gender, age, race, etc. Individuals often see drugs as a type of coping mechanism to help them deal with the trauma they are experiencing, especially because of how different drugs can cause different feelings of euphoria. Unknowingly individuals take drugs to escape their current headspace for a certain period not realizing that they are creating a pattern for a constant need for the drug to take away the feelings that they are currently running away from or trying to combat, so each time these feelings come up the craving for the specific drug will arise each time stronger than the previous time because the individual has trained their body unknowingly or subconsciously to crave the feeling the drug gives just to escape. In turn, this is the routine that often creates the addiction to the drug because the individual believes and has trained their body and mind to believe that the specific drug is the only way that they can help themselves heal when in fact it is harming them more than it is helping them. Individuals who were brought up in more even/steady households might be able to cope or deal with their trauma slightly better compared to those individuals who were brought up in disruptive/unstable households. Childhood trauma increases an individual’s risk factor of contracting PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in the later stages of life.

Summary

In this essay, I have done extensive research into all of my variables as well as discussed each of my variables in-depth about my topic of the effects of drug abuse on teenagers in high schools and colleges in Boksburg. The variables I discussed include, the relationship between parents and their children, peer pressure, the availability of substances, an environment which included social media as well as media and the physical environment, and lastly how trauma correlates with drug abuse and addiction in individuals.

Nowadays, many teens continue to develop mental instability due to stress, pressure family issues, personal battles, etc. It is highly alarming that most teenagers suffer from mental instability Peer pressure is one of the main reasons a teenager has mental instability. Many adolescents described peer pressure as the ‘price of group membership’ (Clasen and Brown, 1985) and, according to Brown (1986, p 522), ‘peer pressure was specifically defined as’ whether people of your age are urging you to do something or not to do something else, regardless of whether you want to do something personally or not. Mental instability is when there is one, according to an online website called psychologenie.com, Mental instability happens when one suffers from a condition that takes care of normal brain function, rendering it either harmful, unusual or out of control for those who encounter it (Sarah, 2019). Peer pressure causes mental instability among adolescents because they feel the need to conform and receive validation from their peers, they are pressured to do better academically, and last but not least the lack a good support system to tell them that their hard work is valid.

Having friends who support everyone and treat everyone without judgment is a nice feeling for an adolescent to feel. Belonging to a group means that in a daily routine, a person must do the same thing as the group does. It requires conformity with the interests and desires of a group, which can result in pressure on those members of the group to like a particular activity. As S Dobesova Cakirpaloglu, S. Lemrova, J. Kvintova, and S. Vevodova, conformity is characterized as a specific response of adolescents to the stress of the social environment and a series of findings in the fields of psychology and behavior. They also stated that group size is one of the social factors of conformist behavior,’ the bigger the group, the bigger the group pressure on adolescents in the group’ (Dobesova Cakirpaloglu, Lemrova, Kvintova and Vevodova, 2016). A study showed that adolescents have an inconsistent pattern of behavior among adolescents with high social anxiety (HSA) between social interaction stress (SIS) and social judgment stress (SJS) (La Greca et al., 1988; Turner et al., 1989; Teachman and Allen, 2007). SIS defines the possibility of a teenager working together to achieve something and communicate effectively, while SJS refers to the performance of an adolescent being observed, compared, criticized, and evaluated by others within or outside the peer group. As Haun and Tomasello have reported, teens exhibit more conformity behavior when they know that their thoughts, views, and choices will be presented to the public, they’re afraid they’ll be judged if they say anything contradictory to what their peers think. One of the reasons teens do things according to what their peers do is because they want affirmation and they want to prove their loyalty to their parents, so they are pressured to do something entirely contrary to what they believe in. It will leave them with low self-esteem, anxiety, or even depression if they are not accepted by their peers for who they are and what they believe in.

One of the main reasons teenagers are now developing mental instability due to peer pressure is academic pressure. Parents just want what’s best for their kids, that’s why parents think higher grades are better, and lower grades than they’re expecting are worse because they’re still in the performance-based culture that they think is better. As Abeles (Race to Nowhere) points out, the educational stress of the youth is destroying their self-esteem, joy, and imagination. According to Rubin, the best way for parents to help their children alleviate the academic burden is to engage with the academic situation of their children and give them some ‘me-time’ for their children. As Rubin said, every kid and teenager needs PDF (playtime, downtime, family time) every day, regardless of their age. The engagement of adolescents with their peers could help enhance their potential and increase their academic performance at school as they could seek help from their peers that could serve as inspiration rather than working alone (Sotinis, Mirco, & Michael, 2013). ‘Peer pressure is one of the most powerful forces affecting teens,’ says Molina (2017). Another example of peer pressure from an academic point of view is that when a student feels like they’re not enough and their peers have a better grade than they do, they tend to feel like they haven’t done their best and their grades are lower than their peers. They will build a desire to do great things and do well, even if it is difficult for them to move forward.

More certainly, teenagers with mental instability do not have someone to rely on. One study shows that those who suffer from mental instability are a person who doesn’t have someone to rely on when things get tough. According to Puligni (1993), most probably due to the lack of guidance and support from parents for their children during adolescence, children during adolescence tend to enjoy the company of their peers more than their family as they believe that their peers better understand them than their family. At least every day parents should also try to talk to their kids and ask them how they coped and how they coped. According to Savin-Williams & Berndt (1990), a teenager with a supportive friendship is more likely to be altruistic, show empathy, and maintain a positive peer status. Laurence Steinberg (1992) claims that teenagers whose friends and parents value their academic achievement and are proud to do their best are doing better than teenagers who are sponsored by either or both. Nevertheless, when adolescents have a close relationship with their parents, their peers are less affected by them (Steinberg and Silverberg, 1986). As stated by Reisman (1985), peer pressure has a powerful influence on the feelings of teenagers, how they think, and how they decide. Having strong peer pressure changes one’s personality when these forces impact a teenager’s behavior, a teenager’s likes or dislikes, and a teenager’s feeling compelled to abandon their thoughts, perceptions, and emotions just to meet the expectations of peers or family.

There may be many reasons why a teenager or an individual suffers from mental instability but it should be troubling that peer pressure has had a lot of impact on a teenager’s or an individual’s mental state. Everyone should feel safe even in their own families because that’s where a lot of development goes on, parents should dismiss the idea that having good grades means their kids are better, and having lower grades is worse. Friends should also be the one who elevates each other in times of need and should help each other even if they have different perspectives on life. Having a support system is a good start for lowering peer pressure every day. Peer pressure is the cause of mental instability among adolescents as they feel the need to conform and gain approval from their peers, they are forced to do better academically, and finally, they lack a good support system to reassure them that their hard work is valid. But if anyone around an individual or adolescent helps each other and lets their beliefs not affect their emotions, it would diminish the risk of mental instability, and teenagers will know that they are adequate and everything they do and say is true because they have the right to freely express themselves.

Normal child development and development of delinquent behavior are greatly influenced by individual, social, and communal circumstances and their relationships influence the behavior. Comprehensive studies suggest that behavior, including antisocial and delinquent characteristics, results from a complex relation of personal biological and genetic elements and environmental elements, from the fetal stages of development to adulthood. Biological development is influenced by the environmental elements, which act together to influence one’s behavior. Most children attain adulthood without being involved in grave delinquent behavior, even when subjected to multiple risk factors. The risk elements at play may be used to identify the children who are in dire need of preventive interventions, but they cannot point out the children who will be involved in chronic offenses. Most adult offenders were once involved in delinquent behavior at their age, but not all children and adolescents involved in delinquent behavior turn out to be criminals in their adulthood (Shoemaker, pg. 4).

During my young and adolescent stages in life, I haven’t been involved in any delinquency behavior or a crime of any kind, I have strived to live the “straight and narrow” lifestyle. I have been exposed to some risk factors at various stages of growth, factors as peer pressure and violent social circles, but this didn’t pressure me to engage in delinquent behaviors. The chances of engaging in crimes could have increased if I was exposed to more risk factors like poor school attendance, poor education standards, family violence, substance abuse which majorly results from peer pressure, and social economic factors where delinquent behaviors are more common in poorer neighborhoods. My personality trait describes a calm person, not exhibiting antisocial and aggressive behaviors which are some of the personal risk factors that can pressure a child or adolescent to engage in crimes.

Anomie theory

The term anomie was used to define the nonexistence of social guidelines, or normlessness, but was later revised to describe the consequences of a nonfunctional relationship between one’s goals and the genuine process of achieving them. Two features of social and cultural layout have been emphasized; the goals defined based on culture, like monetary success, and the legitimate means like education of achieving the said goals. Within our societal context, success goals are widely distributed but the means and opportunities of hitting the goals are not widely shared. This theory is utilized in explaining why adolescents and young adults engage in delinquent behaviors and the reason why some groups are categorized as being more delinquent than others. The members of the lower class exhibit the highest disparity between goals and means of achieving them, hence exhibiting the highest rates of delinquent behavior as they result in to use of unlawful in place of lawful processes (Siegel and Brandon, pg104).

Subculture theory

This theory is based on the assumption that children of the lower class, who are likely to be in the delinquent subculture category, initially experience a failure to hit the expectations when they enter school. When evaluated against the middle class, they are found to be below average, which results in an increasing feeling of frustration based on their status. This not only applies in school but within the general society too. A juvenile who fails to attain the socially set standards falls off from society and seeks validation from a subculture, which consists of other societal “misfits”. As the lower-class children lack preparation from their earliest experiences on how to fulfill the middle-class anticipations, the delinquent subculture is established as a substitute category of values that the lower-class adolescents can meet. These sub-cultural values signify a complete abandonment of middle-class standards by establishing the opposite category of prestige. It results in the frustrations of failure (Siegel and Brandon, pg106).

I didn’t engage in these behaviors as I considered and have always considered them unlawful, for exhibiting delinquent behavior is a crime. Brushing the wrong side of the law will result in unwanted consequences like being jailed, and spoiling my reputation which will hurt my career in the future and this will also be disobeying my parents. The motivation for living a positive lifestyle has been motivated by my will to do good, abide by the set rules and regulations, and conform to the positive societal norms, which I have learned since my childhood. I haven’t deviated from the social norms, but I do question some of the norms that I feel don’t have good moral standards, like discrimination based on gender. My traits and the background in which I have been brought up are the main contributors to my resistance to engaging in delinquent behaviors.

My lack of engaging in delinquent behaviors is dictated by the fact that I have grown up having access to most means of achieving the goals I set, from excellent academic performance to short-term goals like participating in clubs and societies. The Anomie theory states that delinquent behavior arises when one can’t access the right means to achieve their goals, and more so those in the lower financial classes, and the opposite is true. I have had access to financial and social support from the people around me, a factor that has been crucial in my journey of attaining my goals. The focus on working and improving on the means at hand has kept me from engaging in activities that might entice me to engage in crimes. Also, coming from a relatively well-off background, I had the obligation of maintaining a good reputation, which meant I had to abide by the set rules and the norms instilled in me by my parents and society. An example is ensuring am disciplined in school, which translates to a peaceful learning environment and hence excellent grades.

The subculture theory is greatly promoted by peer pressure. When I joined the school, my academic performance was above average, a factor that had been contributed by my background upbringing. The ability to excel in most of the things I focus on has assisted me in adjusting well to societal standards and avoiding giving in to peer pressure. The early experience that was subjected to by my parents has also helped in establishing a concrete foundation in me, which has been crucial in adjusting to the social standards and ensuring performance in what I do. The desire to be different positively, and to exhibit positive and admirable traits has always encouraged me to keep away from negative peer pressure. During the times I have failed to achieve some of my goals, I have managed to fight the frustrations and in case I have deviated from the set social norms, I have always tried to retrace my steps. As delinquent subculture is a category of individuals exhibiting behaviors that contradict societal norms, I have been weary of these groups.

Work Cited

1. Shoemaker, Donald J. Theories of Delinquency. 1st ed. Oxford University Press, 2009. Online. Internet. 5 Jan. 2019. .
2. Siegel, Larry J., and Brandon C. Welsh. Juvenile Delinquency: The Core. 1st ed. Cengage Learning, 2016. Online. Internet. 5 Jan. 2019.

Drugs are shaping the way that kids are growing up in today’s age, some of the main reasons for kids starting drug addiction include depression, anxiety, stress, peer pressure, life circumstances, stress, and teenagers following trends. If we want to stop this drug problem then we have to understand the root causes for why teenagers are starting drugs and focus on those problems. If we can help to target the real root cause of kids starting drugs then maybe we can help to eliminate drug use, substance abuse, vaping, and teenage addiction.

Mental/emotional health can be a cause for drug addictions. If a kid were to have a mental/emotional health issue and they were ashamed of it they would probably go to drugs and alcohol for a way to calm themselves down. As kids go to the drugs more and more they will be more likely to have an addiction. Depression and anxiety are also a big influence on teenagers. About 20% of high school teenagers experience depression, but only 30% are being treated for it. teenagers may also not have good coping mechanisms. Good coping mechanisms include sports, art, and extracurricular activities. If a teenager lives in an area where youth activities and sports are not common they may turn to drugs because they do not have healthier coping mechanisms.

Childhood and the way they were raised can also affect drug use. If somebody was raised in a loving, caring home, then they probably will not turn to drugs when a problem or severe amount of stress is laid on their shoulders. If they had a supportive family. On the other hand, if someone was raised in a household where nobody ever cared about them, or paid attention to their problems, they might turn to drugs as a coping mechanism for their anxiety. They will feel like they have no one to turn to. Also, kids are heavily influenced by their parents. If someone was raised in a house where people smoked or drank, they might think it’s good or acceptable to do so. They may also not realize the harmful effects that come along with smoking, drinking, or using drugs. They might not be influenced by their parents telling them not to. Or, their parents might just not care about it, or even if the parents do, the teenagers might not take them seriously because they have seen their parents do it a lot.

Teenage drug use is also impacted by access to drugs. If a teenager is growing up in a community where lots of people use or sell drugs, it may impact drug use because it is easier to access. A national survey of high schoolers said that close to half of high school students knew somebody who sold drugs. Teenagers may also find drugs in their own homes. This doesn’t necessarily always mean alcohol, it can mean prescription drugs. In 2018, 9.90% of high school seniors misused prescription drugs within the past year, and 4.20% of high school seniors misused prescription drugs within the past month. Besides, teenagers can order drugs/substances on the internet without their parent’s knowledge.

Common trends in drugs/drug use also affect teenagers. Common trends may also affect the way teenagers see drugs. Some of these common trends associated with drugs/drug use include vaping companies commonly claiming that their products are healthier than smoking but in the short amount of time that vaping has been around, more than 150 teenagers have been hospitalized across the United States. There are more and more horrible side effects that are starting to be revealed like impaired memory, difficulties problem-solving, and even increased risk of heart disease. In addition, flavored vapes and e-cigarettes also attract teenagers. Flavors like cotton candy, gummy bears, cool cucumber, fruit, mint, and bubble gum may be the reason teenagers have started vaping. Forty-three percent of kids who have vaped say that they did it for the “fun” flavors. There are 7,700 flavors that teenagers can pick from. Also, teenagers start vaping because they see celebrities advertising it on social media. Many influencers and celebrities take pictures vaping or with vapes in their hands.

Peer pressure also has a big impact on drug use. Many teenagers want to do what they see others doing to fit in. Cocaine makes you happy and the people who use it have a positive outlook on life. This makes teenagers want to do it because they see other teens happy and they want to be happy too. You only have to use a non-addictive drug, but then people realize that the way cocaine makes you feel is addictive even though cocaine dealers claim that the drug is not. The Canadian Lung Association did a study on how peer pressure impacts smoking and vaping among teens. They found that 70 percent of teenagers started smoking because of peer pressure, or because they have friends who smoked. Only 10 percent said that they started smoking on their own without having friends who smoked. Two of the main reasons kids between the ages of 12 and 17 started smoking are because they thought it was cool, or because their friends did it. There are many reasons that teenagers start to do drugs and alcohol but peer pressure is the most common one. Many people will plan what they will say if someone offers them drugs, but when they are in the moment it is not some horrible scary thing it is just you at a party with close friends who are all doing drugs and then offering some to you. Friends have the power to get you to do the things that you don’t want to do in disguise as being normal or doing what everyone else has done.

Drugs are things that are not going away. We have lived with them for years and have never been able to get rid of them. Family circumstances and trends are all root causes that have caused drugs to reach their way into the public and private education systems. Things like peer pressure have things have kids taking drugs that will get them addicted for life. If we try to help make sure that all kids have a loving caring support system surround themselves with the right kind of friends or stop believing these trends that the drug companies put out there then maybe we can begin to stop the hold drugs have on children these days. Maybe we can make it easier for the next generation.

People believe the teenage years to be a difficult time for young adolescents because there are a lot of changes going on in their bodies and minds. They are making choices about who and what type of person they will become. A friend, or group of friends, can be a large factor in how teenagers make their decisions. As a whole, society regards having relationships, platonic or romantic, as a significant part of a person’s life. In adolescence, children and teenagers often form friend groups that reflect the person they will become and how they make decisions. Comic books that focus on young adolescent group dynamics such as the superhero teams The Teen Titans, the Young Justice League, and the Runaways are all prime examples of a group of like-minded and capable teenagers who heavily rely on each other. Although they have super capabilities, they still fall victim to the chaos of puberty, peer pressure, and forming their ethical ideals. Every day small and large decisions must be made, however, to teenagers any choice can seem like the end of the world. The ethical dilemma presented in the choices teenagers must make shows that the decisions can shape a person into who they become in their adult lives. Whether the choice is to give in to peer pressure, be a leader versus a follower, or deal with the trust and betrayal of a group member.

Peer pressure, conforming to a person or group’s ideal, does not always have to be a bad thing. In every adolescent’s life, they will be pressured into either good habits or bad habits. Some of the good habits include being more assertive, trying new activities, or stepping out of their comfort zone. In the 2017 comic, Young Justice Book One, Secret was a prime example of how a group could help another member push themselves from what they were used to. While talking with the Red Tornado, Secret discovered the origins of the superheroes of the Young Justice League (YJL), Robin, Superboy, and Impulse’s powers and how they decided to use them for good. During Secret’s discussion about her disbelief in her capabilities to be a hero, a girl yelled for help from outside, and without hesitation, Secret went to save her. The Red Tornado commented, “Well, you didn’t seem to need to think too carefully about what to do there.” To which Secret responded, “Yeah! It was like a split second and I suddenly just knew what to do! That must be what it’s like for others, just knowing what was right.” After hearing the stories about the YJL, Secret was moved to act as they did on missions when a civilian needed help. She was able to push her doubts about herself out of her mind and worked on instinct to help those in need because of the role models the boys were to her. The pressure Secret felt to be as good and heroic as the boys, pushed her to release the doubts she had about herself and take a step in the direction of the type of person she wanted to be.

Although peer pressure can be a good thing at times, the activities one can be swayed towards can be harmful and detrimental to a person’s moral growth. In, World Without Grown-Ups, the children of the world woke up to find every adult gone. Most young adolescents tried things their parents deemed as unsafe or ‘grown-up’ activities. One child, Justin, was on the roof of a house with two other adolescents who were pressuring him to jump off with an umbrella. The girl called Justin “too much of a baby to be a superhero,” which was the last straw and he jumped. Luckily, the superhero Mary Marvel swooped in to catch him. When teenagers have people around them who care about their well-being, those friends would not ask another member to put themselves in harm’s way. By choosing friends who care about one another’s well-being, they are more likely to have a greater support system going into their adult lives. The concept is slightly different for supers because they intentionally put themselves in harm’s way and they do it for the greater good. In, The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, the Teen Titans are on a mission to stop Brother Blood and the H.I.V.E. Member of the Teen Titans, Tara Markov was being squeezed to death by Blood’s monster and Cyborg comes to her rescue. Surprised, Tara said to Cyborg, “You saved me… you saved me.” Cyborg replied, “You would done the same, kid.” Whether or not Tara would have also saved Cyborg, she realized that for them to work as a cohesive unit and make it out of a mission alive, they must work together. During the mission against Blood, Tara understood the importance of being there for the team and the impact helping each other had on a mission. The choices the Teen Titans were faced with daily were not overtly synonymous with the choices regular human adolescents face. However, the paths or decisions they make can have lasting impacts on their future endeavors.

Problems can arise when it comes to group friendships or teams, and who the leader should be, or if there should be one at all. In every friend group, there is someone who views themselves as a leader and others who are followers. When choosing a leader, there is not always a group consensus and the leader can then have doubts about their capabilities. The author Joseph Allen from the article, Leaders and Followers in Adolescent Close Friendships, states, “Finally, failure to establish autonomy in handling disagreements in important peer relationships appears likely to lead to depressive symptoms related to increasingly doubting oneself and one’s capacity to take one’s place within an emerging social world.” As people grow and develop into adulthood, they can struggle to find their place or doubt their idea of what their respective positions should be in a group dynamic.

In the first panel of, Runaways: Dead End Kids, the narrator explained that “Nico Minoru leads the, ah, ‘team’. Child of the Dark Wizards now controls the Staff of One. Adept at spells. Possibly not so much at leading.” Later on, Nico revealed to fellow runaway, Karolina Dean, that she “sucks so bad” and “folded in that meeting.” Nico tried her best but the pressure to be a perfect leader for their group made her choose a course of action the entire group did not agree to. She then had to realize her mistake and live with them. If a leader is chosen, other members may worry about how they fit into the group and what they bring to the dynamic. In, The New Teen Titans: Judas Contract, mutant and team member, Beast Boy, unveiled his feelings about being the least useful and successful person with shape-shifting powers. Beast Boy said to Tara Markov, “Look at the rest of the Titans. They’d be successful even without their powers. Mine are just a fluke of bad luck. The side effects of a medicine designed to save my life.” To which Tara responded, “So, you’ve got yourself an inferiority complex, eh? The only time anyone’s better’n you are when you let ‘em be.” She acknowledged Beast Boy’s doubt in his capabilities but tried to show him it was all in the way he viewed his situation. The urge to be a part of a pack is deeply ingrained in the human psyche, going back to the days of early civilization and having safety in numbers. As society has developed, the relationships and groups formed are more for the emotional well-being of a person. With the stress and hardship of saving humanity, the teenagers have banded together to keep each other safe and be there whenever needed.

A close-knit group of friends, especially those who rely on each other to save citizens and humanity, need to have trust but may trust too much. Through research, it is shown that friendships are the first relationships teens form outside of their families. People are born into their families without a choice, but they can choose who they want to be friends with. At the beginning of The New Teen Titans: Judas Contract, the Teen Titans were in combat with H.I.V.E members. Tara aided Wonder Girl by taking down an enemy that was going to “ventilate” her. Wonder Girl then responded, “Thanks, Terra – that’s why we’re a team.” Tara said in return, “Yeah. Well, if it weren’t for me, you’d be daisy fertilizer. So why do I feel like an outsider? And I don’t mean like my brother, geo-force.” Kid Flash acknowledged what Tara said and told Wonder Girl that Tara was “one of us.” By working alongside the Teen Titans, Tara was able to gain the group’s trust and show that she held the same values they did. The choice to allow Tara to join seemed to be a group consensus, but Raven had reservations about her true intentions. Without proof of Tara’s foul purpose, Raven kept the suspicion to herself to not upset the group dynamic. She did however make Tara aware of her feelings, “If I were certain of my feelings, I would have informed the Titans months ago, but I will not accuse anyone when I cannot be certain of myself.” Tara had been working with the Titans for months and it was not until the final battle against Blood that Tara’s true betrayal was revealed. By not wanting to cause rifts in the group and place doubt where there might not be any, Raven kept to herself and did not alert anyone in the group and placed the Teen Titans in unknown harm by doing so.

Dick was the first to figure out the truth about Tara through Adeline and Joseph’s story. Although it was hard to believe at first, Dick realized the honesty in the story and it pushed him to rejoin the Titans and become Nightwing. Although Dick was overwhelmed with the realization that Tara had betrayed them he had to make another decision of whether or not to trust Joseph. Weighing the outcomes, Dick decided to extend his trust once more in hopes it would aid his friends. Other members of the team found it hard to believe that Tara was capable of betrayal. During the final battle, Beast Boy at one point tried to help Tara defeat Slade because he believed she was pretending to be on his side. Beast Boy turned into an elephant and said, “I knew you were only putting on an act. I knew you were on our side. C’mon, nothing can stop us now, kid. Hear that, Termy? Terra’s with the Titans, pal – She’s one of us!” To which Tara responded, “You stupid moron. I’ve never been with you! I’ve hated you.” Confused, Beast Boy asked Tara why, but she retaliated and said there was no reason other than she only felt hate. Although Tara announces the true nature of her chaotic insanity, the other Titans still attempt to help and encourage her to believe they can find a solution. Raven and Wonder Girl went as far as to lasso her and offer healing to her soul. In the end, Tara rejected all help and buried everything, including herself, leaving a hole in the Teen Titans. Friendships come with benefits and disadvantages but the fallout from negative friendships can be detrimental. Dick chose to trust Joseph, which in turn helped save his friends, but he made a choice to trust Tara which placed his friends in harm’s way. Not every choice for people will be as life-threatening as the one Dick made, however, the outcome can be life-changing for everyone.

Every day choices are made from the moment a person wakes up. The choices can range from, what they should wear to what kind of career they want to pursue. In young adolescents, the decision from a choice can be a deciding factor in who they become as adults. Friendships can be a deciding factor in what type of benefit someone brings to society. By surrounding themselves with friends and partners who hold moral values, one can determine the path they take into adulthood. For the Teen Titans and the YJL, the path they took was one of heroism and courage. The depiction of teenagers forming friend groups is accurately portrayed in the comics because it shows the good and the bad of a life-altering stage in life. Although teenagers may fail miserably at times, the support given throughout a group is what helped not only the Teen Titans and YJL, but everyday teenagers trying to survive the hardships of everyday life.

This paper tackles one of the initiatives that can be undertaken to bring change to the teenagers. It will focus on teenagers facing peer pressure. Teenagers face several problems in today’s society (Fisher, 2003). These problems are widespread ranging from the use of drugs abuse, sex, alcoholism, to theft, among others (Ambrosino et al, 2007).

Teenagers need help to get rid of the problems and vices arising from peer pressure because there are some who care about their well-being out of all the teenagers negatively impacted by peer pressure (Fisher, 2003). This initiative aims to provide youth with a secure environment. In addition, it helps them receive life guidance, realistic information, instructive tutoring as well as take part in esteem building activities.

This initiative will be implemented in various ways that will ensure it is functional. A special group with responsibilities of setting up new regulations and principles will be constituted. The initiative will begin by encouraging parents to take an active part in the daily developments of their teenagers (Fisher, 2003).

The constituted group will conduct lectures that will ensure that families and close relatives know the constraints and challenges teenagers face and how to handle these problems. The presence of volunteers will also play an important role; they will directly be involved with teenagers under peer pressure influences such as drug abuse.

A social workers role among the youth is restricted to investigations on the influences of family and education to a teenager’s development (Ambrosino et al, 2007). It is noticeable that the poor support offered by family and friends is a major reason to why teenagers are unable to resist peer pressure. The introduction of a healthy social and psychological environment in schools is a program that will be implemented to help curb negative effects of peer pressure.

This initiative is targeted at making positive impacts in the community. The mission will linger on suitable techniques that will effect these changes (Nucci, 2008). This initiative will begin with setting up moral and character standards among the teenagers. The initiatives vision is firmly connected with cultivation of new moral handiness and social capabilities that will ensure teenagers to defy harmful impacts of peer pressure.

This will require redefining previously set ethical and moral standards in the society to be able to know what went wrong. Efforts by parents to help curb teenage peer pressure will also be looked into at this point. The change will then be implemented by giving relevant instructions to both parents and volunteers on how to tackle negative effects of peer pressure. The coordination between parents and volunteers will ensure correct measures are put in place to curb the problem.

The use of recreational facilities will also ensure proper developmental training is offered to the teenagers. The community also plays an important role by ensuring any cases of social misconduct such as drug abuse. The community should, therefore, be directly linked to this initiative. The communities of interest should provide targeted groups of moral and psychological background.

At a school level, not only teenagers are influenced into misbehaving but also young children. The initiative will ensure that school counselors pay attention to all these groups. The initiative is laid down based on a five-action strategy (Nucci, 2008). This approach ensures the teenagers are encouraged, the sensitive areas are identified, and all programs and workforce needed to fulfill the programs that will ensure the problem is solved collectively, are put in place. If all this is done systematically then the initiative will be successful.

References

Ambrosino, R., Heffernan, J., and Shitlesworth, G. (2007). Social Work and Social Welfare: An Introduction. US: Cengage Learning.

Fisher, D. (2003). Assets in Action: A Handbook for Making Communities Better Places to Grow Up. Minneapolis, MN: Search Institute.

Nucci, L. (2008). Handbook of Moral and Character Education. US: Taylor & Francis.

Introduction

Parents all over the world face pressure to control their teenage sons and daughters. They are crying for help to save their wards from the peer pressures. As soon as the children leave their school and step into high school they find themselves in a kind of glamour world. They intend to perform some odd jobs just because either their friends are doing it or it becomes a matter of showing self standard. Among these are the vices of taking up smoking and alcohol. This mainly happens especially when it is a matter of showing off in front of peers. In order to keep up with this trend students become rebellious and their parents feel helpless. Thus, the cause lies in responding to peer pressure by creating an identity in front of the peer group and the effect is the inclination towards various vices during teens. (Hill, 89)

Discussion

The first step to drugs is a very common symptom of this issue. This may lead to addiction and ending up into rehabilitation center. It is impossible to idealize what peer pressure can make one perform. Different criminal activities or teen sexual acts are common outcomes of this pressure. The cause of this peer pressure starts with the search of self-identity and it lies in the path of development of self-belief. Once a teen is out of the emotional and physical shelter of the parents it becomes obvious that there waits a competitive world to face and environment of high school provides the first step of this outer world. Under such conditions, it becomes necessary to make a mark of ones existence in the real world, in front of the peer group and to oneself at the same time.

However, the best and easy way in this tough world, or in the peer group, is to prove oneself as a rebellious teen. Sure, being an exceptional student is always a better choice any day, anywhere. Nevertheless, to achieve this goal needs a hard and arduous schedule to follow and the result is not quick either. Thus, to achieve importance in the peer group it needs rebellious image. Creating a tough image is the best and the easiest way out. (Brown, 7) It is a common practice in Oxford for the new students to attend drinking parties in local pubs. It is an act of binge drinking that is supposed to be proof of toughness in front of peers and worthy of the admission in the student community. (Hill, 104)

Conclusion

In order to create a tough and rebellious image the elements needed are always wrong. These are smoking and alcohol, drugs and teen sexual activities. Sure, most of the time the peer group is directly not putting the pressure on the student or handing out a well formulated manifesto with lists of vices to be followed but simple gestures with indication of the student being a ‘good’ but ‘boring’ fellow makes the student afraid of identity crisis or popularity loss. (Hill, 103) Both of these elements are fearful to a student and thus the student feels that in order to be recognized it is important to indulge in activities related to smoking and alcohol, drugs and teen sexual acts. Thus, it is quite obvious that if the elements of peer pressure are taken into consideration as the ’cause’ then the indulgence into these vices are the ‘effects’ of this ’cause’.

Works Cited

Brown, B. “The cultural context of family-peer linkages in adolescence.” New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development 27.116 (2007): 1-15.

Hill, Martha S. “Timing of childhood events and early-adult household formation.” New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development 19.71 (2001): 87-109.