Every single person has experienced peer pressure in their lives. Every single person has experienced peer pressure in their lives. Social life implies regular communication with various people that may impose their views on somebody. Such a contradiction between one’s own beliefs and the community’s values may affect a person rather harshly. The desire to conform does not make it easier for the person to blend in if the societal values do not resonate with their own. The individual beliefs often go in contrast with the societal standards which can cause the rejection or contempt by the community. The peer pressure of various characteristics due to the community’s contradicting desire can lead to moral decay or psychological illness in a person.
People of all ages are subjected to peer pressure; it happens not only in childhood but also in adulthood. Children are the most susceptible to it because of the forming identity and relationships. The main character in Salvation by Hughes was only twelve when he faced peer pressure to convert and join Jesus in a church. He could not handle the pressure and cried at night because of his disturbed morality as he “could not bear to tell her that he had lied” and did not see Jesus (2). The outcome of this decision was his hopelessness and belief that “there was a Jesus anymore” caused by the church congregation’s provocation (Hughes 2). Adults appear to be less influenced by their peers due to formed personality and consciousness, but the character of Orwell’s novel still silently suffered after killing the elephant. He experienced a complex societal dilemma when the boy realized his role in imperial society and the natives’ expectations towards a white person.
It may as well be spoken or unspoken, direct or indirect. The boy was affected by both types, but his peer’s spoken commentary on the bench influenced him the most. The boy’s perception was significantly affected because of the one-to-one environment, where the recipient is the most perspective. The praying group around him also gradually increased the tension and pressure. The dilemma the man faced inside his head, on the contrary, was unspoken. He did not specifically get the order to kill, nor the crowd told him, but he felt the pressure. The man realized that the action he took would significantly alter the societal opinion of him as he felt the unspoken crowd’s desire. Either way, peer pressure puts a person in a position of deciding on the spot. Indirect peer pressure is more subtle, like killing an elephant when the character saw the excited faces in the crowd as he was aiming the gun and felt a strong influence towards obeying their will.
Peer pressure does not necessarily have to negative; it can also promote positive action. The man experienced negative peer pressure, having to kill an elephant. The boy, on the other hand, was forced to engage in a somewhat positive activity. However, he did not seem to enjoy joining the prayers and his salvation at all. It turned out to be a painful experience causing a complete loss of faith. It appears that no matter what sort of activity a person is prompt into doing, it may still largely contradict a person’s values and beliefs. Such an action can cause pain and even lead to trauma. The man who was forced to kill an elephant felt a strong contradiction between his own desire and the crowd’s desire, which confused him. He disregarded his own belief that “it would be murder to shoot him” (Orwell 3) and suffered by watching an elephant die. He did not cry and looked rather indifferent than the boy, but he also suffered as he betrayed his principles and morality.
Peer pressure is inevitable as we live in society where every community and group of people have their own beliefs. It helps to maintain societal order but is often dismissive of individual struggles. Imposing these beliefs may often be rather aggressive and cause a person to suffer. Unfortunately, there is no power over society’s values as it is the majority. However, we have the power of what to do about these standards. The choice and responsibility of a decision we make under pressure still depends on us.
Works Cited
Hughes, Langston. “Salvation.” The Big Sea: An Autobiography. 2nd ed., Hill and Wang, 1993, pp. 18-21.
Orwell, George. Shooting an Elephant. Penguin Books, 2009.
Everyone has experienced peer pressure at a certain point in life. Coming either in a form of a persuasion by family members, or as an attempt of the fellow students to make one sign up for an extracurricular activity together with the entire group, peer pressure can take many shapes, yet it inevitably leads to the same battle between an individual and the society.
Although peer pressure is typically considered a negative phenomenon that contributes to life span reduction, it can also be viewed as a factor that enhances one’s resilience towards harmful outside factors.
Hypothesis: Peer Pressure as an Inevitable and Essential Part of Existence
Though it is generally believed that peer pressure reduces people’s life span, it actually has a positive impact on the alleged “victims” as well. Training people’s ability to withstand social influences and prove their point, peer pressure helps people to become strong and independent personalities with their own frame of mind. Moreover, peer pressure helps one learn to make his/her own decisions no matter what the crowd thinks.
Concerning the Variables: When the Wind of Change Blows
Analyzing every single instance of peer pressure, as well as distilling specific models is hardly possible. However, distilling key factors that trigger peer pressure and influence its course will help understand how to reduce the phenomenon and fight it successfully.
The independent variables and their impact
When speaking of the factors that enhance peer pressure, the atmosphere within the group in question must be mentioned. The behavioral patterns within the group are the primary independent variables of a peer pressure phenomenon – once a victim displays the slightest deviation from the standard pattern, the process of peer pressure starts inevitably.
The dependent variables: experimental model
As for the dependent variables, the behavioral patterns of the victim should be taken into account first. Often, people unwillingly support the oppressors by subduing to the behavioral model that the peers suggest (Mohnen, Pokorny & Sliwka, 2008). Therefore, among the dependable variables, the temper of the victim and his/her aptitude to change under the pressure of the circumstances should be mentioned.
The Utilized Research Methods: Evaluating the Peer Pressure Levels
In the given research, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to evaluate the effects of peer pressure on people’s lives. Questionnaires and opinion polls, as well as interviews, were used as the key quantitative methods of research. Among for the qualitative research methods, the following ones were adopted: direct observations, role-play, simulation and case study as the most adequate methods of research in the given case.
Introducing the Participants: Consent, Information Availability and Other Related Issues
The participants of the research were going to be split into three groups according to their age and social status. Therefore, the focus of the research was a group of teenagers (12–15 years old), employees at a local company (25 to 33 years old) and a family (a mother, a father and a 14-year-old son). Each of the participants was instructed about the rules of the simulation, with all the necessary information about the process.
Concerning the Key Findings: The Many Sides Peer Pressure
According to the research results, each of the “victims” of the peer pressure finally made a decision that was demanded in the situations modeled for each group. Among teenagers, 10% (8 boys and 5 girls) were able to make a decision different from the one suggested by the group; as for the employees, only 2% (3 men and 2 woman) managed to face their first challenge.
Finally, 7% (7 people) of the third group managed to withstand the family peer pressure. After the groups faced the second challenge, however, the number of independent choices was much higher (40%, or 42 teenagers, 15%, or 6 employees and 10%, or 10 family members). At the same time, the self-esteem of the research participants has increased by almost 20%, which means that the life span of the participants is likely to grow.
Bumping into Obstacles: The Limitations of the Study
Like any other research, the given study has its limitations. The latter concern age, psychological specifics and outside factors, since these elements are highly variable. In addition, it was impossible to check if the life span of the participants has really increased and by how many years exactly; only health progress could be spotted.
The Possible Extensions for the Research: Digging Deeper
The given research can be continued if analyzing the models of behavior that can help people have positive experience in the course of peer pressure. With the help of a specific conduct, people can learn important lessons about building relationships with people of different tempers. Therefore, being able to stop the peer pressure and at the same time stay on friendly terms is an important skill.
Conclusion: When the Pressure Gets too High
As one might have expected, peer pressure falls under the category of too-much-of-a-good-thing elements of social interaction. While its negative effects on people’s life span are obvious, it appears to train important personal qualities, such as resistance to the pressure of the crowd and the phenomenon known as the “crowd thinking.” Therefore, peer pressure performs a significant social function, teaching people to resist it and, therefore, increase their life span.
Reference List
Mohnen, A., Pokorny, K., & Sliwka, D. (2008). Transparency, inequity aversion, and the dynamics of peer pressure in teams: Theory and evidence. Journal of Labor Economics, 26(4), 693–720.
Peer pressure is an important problem for teenagers. The primary reason behind it is the need to belong. At a particular age, a teenager starts to feel a need to figure out their identities and belong to a particular group. Often, group members are required to behave in a certain way. They feel pressure from other peers if they do not do it. Such conflicts can negatively affect children’s psychological and social behavior. Therefore, it is highly important to understand the reasons for peer pressure and possible ways to withstand it.
One of the most popular types of peer pressure is forcing someone to smoke or use alcohol or drugs (MacArthur et al. 392). It is a widespread situation when a teenager starts to practice unhealthy behavior under the pressure of peers of their group. For example, let us imagine Jack, who is forced to smoke by his friends John and James.
It is important to understand that there are several ways to resist the pressure. First of all, everyone who feels peer pressure should remember that he or she has a right to say “no” to other people if he or she does not want to do something (“20 Ways to Avoid Peer Pressure”). Thus, the most effective way for Jack to refuse to smoke is to say “no.” If it is necessary, he should repeat this “no” several times. He should look into his friends’ eyes and be confident.
Also, it is important for Jack to avoid situations that are bringing him under peer pressure, for example, parties where people smoke (“20 Ways to Avoid Peer Pressure”). If Jack does not stay in a company where everybody smokes, he will not feel the pressure to do it. However, this measure could be a way to isolation. Thus, Jack should not avoid all social activities.
Jack could feel afraid that he would lose his friends, but it is not the only possible outcome. For example, he could ask John and James why they smoke, how long they do it, what benefits they obtain from smoking (“20 Ways to Avoid Peer Pressure”). A dialog is a good way to resist the pressure because, in dialogs, peers’ roles can change, and a victim can become a leader. If it does not help, and Jack continues to feel pressure, it is possible for him to find support from other teenagers who do not smoke (“20 Ways to Avoid Peer Pressure”). In this situation, Jack will not be alone.
Finally, Jack can find other friends who do not smoke and/or do not want him to do that (“20 Ways to Avoid Peer Pressure”). These friends will accept Jack’s personality and will not want him to change, which is the most important in a friendship. In conclusion, everyone could use the refusal skills to say “no” and not to do something against one’s will.
MacArthur, Georgie J., et al. “Peer‐led Interventions to Prevent Tobacco, Alcohol and/or Drug Use among Young People Aged 11–21 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis.” Addiction, vol. 111, no. 3, 2016, pp. 391-407.
It is often noticed by teachers and parents that adolescence is a very complex stage of a person’s development that is accompanied by a variety of clashes in all spheres of a young person’s life. As a phase of life, adolescence is complicated by the fact that it is a transitional period between childhood and adulthood (Csikszentmihalyi, 2015). The young people entering this phase are especially frustrated and confused due to a significant change their bodies and minds undergo.
Adolescence is known to be a period of conflict with family members, educators, and peers. One of the most frequently discussed problems of adolescents is pressure from the side of the peers they constantly experience during this period of life. Peer pressure may cause some negative outcomes for its victims. It may result in aggressive or violent behaviors of the teens, wrongdoings of various degrees, immoral choices, and their consequences. Peer pressure can be minimized or addressed by the adult supervisors such as teachers and parents of adolescents, yet this has to be done in the most delicate way possible as the adolescents’ trust towards adults is highly limited and fragile.
Adolescence as a Stage of Human Development
According to the definition provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), adolescence is the time between the ages of 10 and 19 that is characterized by rapid growth and development and is associated with multiple changes (Adolescent Development, 2015). The period of adolescence can be divided into three main stages which are early (11 to 14 years old), middle (15 to 17), and late (18 to 21) (Stages of Adolescence, 2015). Generally, the transformation children experience during adolescence is of two types – physical and mental.
Physically, the body of a young person quickly matures. The process of maturation includes sexual and physical development – the organs and body parts grow, the processes and secretions start to appear. Since all of these physical changes are new for a young person, mild levels of shock are typical for this period. Namely, it may take teens a while to get used to what is going on to their bodies and accept new feelings.
Apart from the adaptation to the physical changes, the adolescents are to get used to having a new social status since this stage of maturation brings the young people closer to adulthood and responsibilities related to it. Overall, adolescents are expected to gain more independence and privacy since they start to develop new interests and roles.
The list of physical and emotional transformations happening to the young people during adolescence is universal; the processes are the same for all teenagers. At the same time, the age at which adolescence and the developments typical for it start may vary depending on the socio-economic situation. The length and standard characteristics of this period are recognized differently in various cultures.
Generally, the human society has changed its perspective on adolescence many times over the last hundred years (for example, the socially accepted age for marriage and childbirth has changed, economic status of different countries allowed earlier onset of puberty, urbanization, and globalization led to the shift of values and gender roles, sexual revolution caused the development of new perspectives on sexuality).
Psychological Side of Adolescence
As a period of rapid transformations and role transitions, adolescence causes a lot of frustration to young people. Moving from childhood to adulthood, teens start to obtain new roles that often create psychological pressure on adolescents. The young people feel like they need to act like grown-ups, yet they still have a set of habitual behaviors they carry from childhood. Feeling lost and confused, the teens tend to start actively looking for their place in the world and in the society around them. Typically, adolescents experience a very strong desire to belong to a particular group or peers. Becoming a member of some community is one of the most important goals of any adolescent individual.
This aspect is especially dangerous because it is associated with peer pressure. The power of peer pressure in the groups of adolescents is extremely influential. Desperate to fit in, teenagers are often ready to do anything that would make them acceptable for their peer group. As a result, peer pressure among adolescents becomes the source of all negative, harmful, and immoral behaviors such as the consumption of drugs and alcohol, early sexual experiences, criminal activities, risky and dangerous experiments (Peer Influence and Peer Pressure, 2015).
The danger of peer pressure is in the fact that it is very hard to address or impact from the side of adults due to their limited authority. This is why the phenomenon and mechanisms of peer pressure among adolescents are carefully studied to provide teachers and parents with tools helping them to minimize peer pressure and secure the children from a variety of potentially harmful errors.
How Does Peer Pressure Work?
The power of peer pressure is so strong because it has several sources. Typically, young people may be pressured to do certain things due to such factors as fear of being isolated from the group, or fear of being considered inadequate; besides, many teenagers are pressured by shame and the need to the bond that occurs on the instinctual level (Teens & Peer Pressure, n. d.). In other words, the motivators forcing the teens to follow a group of peers are rather influential and affect such important values for teenagers as approval, belongingness, bond with peers, and acceptance. The adolescents tend to avoid isolation as the state opposite to being popular at any cost.
It would be pointless to try to convince a teenager to stop being so concerned with what their peers think. For the people of this age, life becomes much easier and more pleasant when they fit in, whereas life in isolation is unbearable since it is associated with not having a place in the world. As a result, doing what everyone is doing is often the main orientation of all adolescents.
Teens are in the process of adjusting to their new bodies and feelings, they may have difficulties controlling impulses. As a result, in situations where they are pressured to react quickly and do not have time to think, teens tend to make mistakes and follow the wrong impulse (Peer Pressure: Its Influence on Teens and Decision Making, 2008). Often, if they had more time to make up their mind, they would be drawn to the opposite solutions.
While adult society sees a variety of different sides of peer pressure and the beliefs of the youth, adolescents have a much simpler idea of this problem. For them, the issue only has two ways out – the miserable life of an alienated person, or a happy life full of acceptance and belongingness of an individual who is a part of a group. At the same time, young people are not as involved in the analysis of what they are doing and the motivations behind it. In most cases, adolescents may be simply unaware of peer pressure and take the situation for granted.
Adolescents and Relationships with Family and Peers
The higher level of emotional and sexual maturity brings the young people closer with their peers and, at the same time, makes them more vulnerable to the harm and pain the peer groups may cause. The strong need to fit in and become a part of a peer society makes adolescents adjust their behaviors, appearance, speech, and even interests. This change may happen rapidly and drastically. Such a dramatic change in a child is likely to alarm their family. Seeing a teenager dressing, talking, and acting in a completely new way will lead to concerns among parents and other older relatives, who may immediately characterize the change as negative or dangerous for the child.
Yet, it is important to remember privacy and independence are new values in the life of a young person. The most common mistake of the parents is viewing an adolescent as a child. Typically, parents become shocked by the new behaviors of their offspring, especially when a child who they used to know as affectionate and dependent becomes locked up, silent, and hypersensitive about their privacy. It may be hard for the parents to cope with the fact that peers’ opinions and advice become more valuable for adolescents than those of family members (Oswalt, 2015).
In times of crisis, adolescents have the need to turn to each other instead of asking their parents for help. This way, a young person without friends or a group of peers they can rely on starts to feel lonely, left out, and unsupported. Such loneliness and lack of sense of belongingness lead to depressions among teens. The parents’ attempts to break through to them and deliver help forcibly leads to an open confrontation with a young person. As a result, an adolescent may completely shut out their family.
Negative and Positive Sides of Peer Pressure
Traditionally, peer pressure is viewed as a negative impact that results in a variety of harmful outcomes. Among them, there are alcohol and substance abuse, drunk driving, risky and dangerous behaviors, crime, violence, and early sexual activities among adolescents. Besides, peer pressure is what makes the central place in the social life of a young person, thus replacing family (Peer Pressure, n. d.).
Logically, all the risky and harmful activities such as multiple sexual relations, criminal and violent behaviors, substance abuse may result in serious harm to a young person’s health and emotionality (from undesired pregnancies and STDs to imprisonments and chemical dependencies). Peer pressure is studied as a serious impact able to shift the behavior and values of the young people basically turning them upside down and making the adolescents slaves of their peer societies.
Apart from negative outcomes, peer influence can impact the youth in a number of positive ways. For example, peer influence may inspire teens to improve their academic performance or become more creative. Young peers are not always violent and harsh with each other, in many cases, they can be supportive and stimulate one another to pursue development and new interests (Peer Pressure, 2012). Often, to become a part of a group, teenagers start to go into sports, join bands, or dance crews. This way, peer relationships should not always be associated with dangerous behaviors and harmful habits.
Two Levels of Peer Pressure
Peer pressure may be divided into two main levels based on its character. The peer pressure of the first level is created by large groups of individuals (Peer Pressure, n. d.). This kind of pressure is visible to the side observers such as parents and teachers. Some of its main signs are the changes in the behavior patterns of young people, their attitudes towards adults, their dressing style, and taste in music or movies. Typically, this level of pressure is the one that attracts the attention of the adult supervisors and is carefully monitored as a harmful impact. Large groups of teens are often suspected to be involved in various criminal activities or immoral behaviors, they are also deemed dangerous.
The peer pressure of the second level is much less noticeable because it occurs in small groups of close friends (2-4 people) (Peer Pressure, n. d.). The pressure of this kind may remain unnoticed for years. It is subtle for the eye of a side observer, yet it is often much more powerful than the pressure on the first level created by large groups of teens. The difference between the two types of pressure is in the fact that the peer pressure of the first level is facilitated by generally accepted social behaviors in large groups of young people.
Such norms may be vague or weak since society if inhomogeneous. At the same time, peer pressure on the second level that appears in the groups of close friends is much stronger. In such circumstances, the teens are pressured by the individuals whose opinions matter the most. When an adolescent is emotionally vulnerable with a friend or two, these friends tend to have the most powerful impact. This way, the tendencies and habits of large crowd teen associates themselves with are less influential than the behaviors typical for small groups of friends.
Handling Peer Pressure
Even though overcoming peer pressure for adolescents is impossible, there are tips for young people to avoid being forced into doing dangerous and immoral things.
First of all, a teen needs to be able to recognize unsafe situations leading to the potential danger to be able to get out of them in time. Secondly, the teens are recommended to learn how to firmly say no to the pressure to do things that do not feel good or right. The moral upbringing of adolescents plays an important role at this stage. To help their children to resist peer pressure, the parents are to nurture their children’s self-esteem and ability to see what is and what is not an appropriate behavior (Guzman, 2007). Thirdly, people who create pressure are to be avoided. It helps if a teen has at least one friend to support them and oppose the pressure together (Peer Pressure, 2012).
Conclusion
Adults often perceive teenagers as the carriers of homogeneous culture with standards of behavior and other common characteristics, but this point of view is inaccurate (Guzman, 2007). The relationships between adolescent peers are complex and have multiple layers. Peer influence may be both negative and positive. The main challenges of this phenomenon are related to the lack of authority and inability to help from the side of the adults, and to the desire to be accepted by peers from the side of the children. Peer pressure can be powerful, but individuals may resist or avoid it by carefully evaluating the groups and people they are engaged with.
Peers are people your age or close to it, who have experiences and interests similar to yours. Peer pressure refers to the influence exerted by a friend or friends in encouraging a person to do something that you do not want to do. Peer pressure is one thing that all teens have in common, and almost everyone faces peer pressure once in a while. You can’t escape it; it is everywhere. No matter how popular you are, how well-liked you may be, or how together you feel, sooner or later you will have to face peer pressure but how successfully you handle peer pressure depends a great deal on how you feel about yourself and your place in the world.
Nearly everyone wants to be liked and to feel that we belong. This often means wanting to fit in with the crowd – having similar clothes, music, doing the same things, and going to the same places. There is nothing wrong with this as long as you don’t feel under pressure to do something that you cannot afford or feel uncomfortable doing.
Peer Pressure can be broken down into two areas; good peer pressure and bad peer pressure. Bad peer pressure is being coerced into doing something that you didn’t want to do because your friends said that you should, e.g., take drugs, smoke, bullying, unsafe sex, etc. Good peer pressure, on the other hand, is being pushed into something that you didn’t have the courage to do or just didn’t cross your mind to do; it can also be a situation when your friends convince you not to do something you were going to do because it wasn’t in your best interest.
In positive peer pressure, one can find Friendship where you find acceptance and share experiences that can build lasting bonds; Positive Examples, e.g., having peers who are committed to doing well in school or to doing their best in a sport, can influence you to be more goal-oriented, too. Peers who are kind and loyal influence you to build these qualities in yourself; Feedback and Advice; Socializing which gives you a chance to learn how to expand your circle of friends, build relationships, and work out differences and new experiences where your peers might get you involved in clubs, sports, or religious groups among others.
Youth peer pressure is one of the most frequently referred-to forms of negative peer pressure. It is particularly common because most youths are forced to spend large amounts of time in fixed groups regardless of their opinion of those groups. Also, young people are more willing to behave negatively towards those who are not members of their own peer groups. To avoid negative pressure:
Make friends with those who share the same values as you and who don’t do things that you might question.
Avoid uncertain places or situations.
Think about what pressure you might encounter and how to respond to it.
Introduce your peers to your parents.
The very first thing one should do when peers are trying to talk you into doing something stops and think. Too many times, one gets into trouble by just going along with the crowd. Here are some of the suggestions that might help.
Think about what the group is asking you to do. Is it wrong? Is it illegal? Why are you tempted to go along? Is it status? Are you afraid to be embarrassed? E.t.c if you have an uneasy feeling, something is probably wrong.
Think about what could happen and ignore all the statements like; everybody does it, what’s wrong with you? Or there is no way we will get caught. Those are not good reasons to go along.
Decide beforehand what you are going to do or say and Get out of situations in which you know you could be pressured.
Stick to your values and morals, and do not compromise the good things you believe in. Talk to your parents and let them know what’s going on in your life. Tell them the good things that happened or the problems you encountered. If not, talk to a trusted adult whom you can trust.
In conclusion, teens, like adults, are influenced by their peer group. This is normal behavior and is modeled for them by the adults around them almost every minute of every day, and it’s just a part of growing up and helps the development of independence and identity. We all conform to the social standards set by our peer groups; with this, teens will tend to follow their peers in behaviors that are not considered appropriate or where they will leave their common sense behind. Part of the reason is the newly found importance of friendships, as teens are just getting used to their friends having any say in what they do. Then there is the “everyone is doing it attitude” that can make a teen feel compelled to comply.
Peer pressure is an individual or a group’s influence on others for them to act differently, change their beliefs, attitudes, or traits to be able to suit or conform to a specified norm. Initially, an individual may not support a specified norm or action but may end up conforming to the same one after external influence from the peer group or other individuals. Solomon Asch, who conducted Asch conformity experiments, asserts that conformity to normative influence is aimed at gaining social approval or reward; it avoids social punishment or disapproval from influencing peers or groups. In my lifetime, there have been many cases when I was influenced by peer pressure, both positively and negatively (Savage 67).
Although peer pressure is usually attributed to negative behaviors and attitudes, in reality, it has both negative and positive effects on an individual. The effects of peer pressure depend on the nature of the influencing group. A bad group may influence an individual in a wrong way, while a good group may instill in a person positive values. Examples of negative peer influence include making wrong decisions, loss of identity, and development of bad habits, while positive peer influence includes exposure to the world, adopting positive habits, and overcoming bad habits. However, the negative effects of peer pressure are more apparent than its benefits (Raum 72).
Positive effects of peer pressure in my life
There are several instances when peer pressure has been instrumental in shaping my attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs positively. Group work has been influential in ensuring my success in academics. When I was in high school, I happened to be assigned to a discussion group that was comprised of people who valued the process of studying a lot. Initially, I was not keen on my studies and I did not want to participate in academic activities which I considered irrelevant, but since members of my group valued education highly, in the end, I had to adapt their studying spirit. The influence of the group played a key role in my academic success. Some of the positive values that the group instilled in me are honesty in academics, hard work in my fields of study, and good management of time. Further, the group influenced my social life by helping me to be a responsible and disciplined individual (Savage 71).
Negative effects of peer pressure in my life
Being an ardent Christian, I considered taking alcohol as immoral, sinful, and unethical. However, the influence of peer pressure made me consume alcohol. One summer, my college friend invited me to a party that had a lot of nice meals and drinks, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. During that party, my friends were taking alcohol and I was the only person who did not take alcoholic drinks. At first, I rejected their attempt to lure me into taking alcohol but after some time, I went against my principles and tasted some alcohol. I took alcohol to have my friends’ social approval. Although I never tried taking alcohol after that case, my experience proves that peer pressure is a powerful tool that, can influence one to get involved in negative behaviors (Raum 88).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it must be highlighted that Solomon Asch was right when he stated that peer pressure is a powerful tool that can influence an individual to do what he or she did not anticipate. Peer pressure may influence a person positively or negatively. One conforms to the norms of a group to gain social reward or avoid group punishment.