When you think of peer pressure, you probably would think of one word, pressure. Pressure means force upon a person or just force in general. Now when you think of it, it means influence from one person and forcing that upon someone else. Sometimes you can not notice peer pressure until it is too late.
One example of peer pressure is two girls keep saying to shop lift to their friend and the girls say ¨if you don’t do it, we can’t be friends anymore.¨ When someone says something like that you most likely will give in and do it, it changes your mindset on what just one person can force upon you and you don’t even know how common it is for things like shoplifting, drugs/alcohol, skipping class to get peer pressured into doing/starting. It can happen to anyone and most of the time it works and that person will get in trouble for something they were forced to do.
Peer pressure changes your decision making, influencing bad behavior through force and harsh words even on social madia. It can change you in many ways, for example you could do something like start doing drugs just because someone you know peer pressured you into it and now you’re stuck with lots of health consequences and life·threatening damage to your body.
There are lots of ways to not fall into the trap of peer pressure, for example, practice saying no to that person and if they keep it up it’s easier to drop them. Or surround yourself with positive people.
Social media, for example, can be a prime candidate for peer pressure. You post a picture of your outfit that day, and someone comments, ¨you need to change your wardrobe, if i looked like that i would never show my fits at all.¨ Now this may not seem like they are pressuring you at all but it’s all there and what could happen after reading that, you could possibly just throw out everything and get an entire new closet of clothes just because of what one person said.
Peer pressure can also affect you mentally in many ways for example, peer pressure can cause
Increased anxiety, low self esteem, depression, even substance abuse. You can always get help for this by talking to a school counselor and or trusted adult.
It would also be good to fight against the pressure. For example, you can suggest an alternative activity, remove yourself from the whole thing, warn those people the problems it can cause, etc. It would also be good to stay with positive activities and have a positive friend group to surround yourself with.
