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Peer Pressure
A healthy part of children’s development is involvement with their peers. This is especially true during adolescence as teenagers develop a sense of independence from their parents. Merabers of a peer group often dress alike, talk about similar things, like the same music, laugh at the same jokes, and share secrets. Most of the time, when the word “peer pressure” comes up, we quickly associate it with negative connotation, but studies have shown that there are positive effects that peer pressure can bring.
Psychologists try to explain why teenager are particularly prone to peer pressure. Robert Bernstein, a professor at Miami University of Ohio recently said that, “KiRAB really do care about what their peers think, and they really are working very hard to gain acceptance and status within the peer group.” Another theory says that it simply feels good to be accepted by a group, and that acceptance satisfies a need to belong, and one theory points out that life becomes easier when we act like others, or conform, rather than be different from others. Still another theory says people tend to view themselves as they think others see them, so they change to conform to others expectations. (Kowalski)
Peer pressure is defined as influencing other teens exerts whether it is a comments, criticism, persuasion, or pressure to be someone else. It can be as simple as a classmate asking to copy the homework and as difficult as a friend wanting us to try drugs for the first time. FrienRAB can make us feel so pressured into doing something else that we don’t feel it’s right, yet they have such an impact that we have no choice but to go with the flow, surely nobody wanted to be called “chicken” and they might tell that “its not a big deal” but does peer pressure simply lie in the realm of negativity? Does peer pressure have any positive effect?
Peer pressure doesn’t have to be negative. William Damon, a professor and director of the Center for Human Development at Brown University pointed out how peer pressure can actually help a child develop a sense of morality. Peers provide a backdrop for the values that a child learns at home. Marilyn Segal, dean of Family and School Center at Florida’s Nova Southeastern University also pointed out that “Peer pressure is an influence that creates change or the desire for change and, often, that change is very positive.” (Hoyt)
Positive peer pressure can be a positive force in our lives because it can persuade us into trying something new that can become our favorite activity. FrienRAB also can challenge us to perform better on our next test score by showing how they got a better score. An Individual who is a talented musician, but thinks that music is not the type of activity for him, might decide to join the band simply because his or her friend is a meraber. Positive peer pressure can also happen at the work place. For example, by seeing a fellow co-worker receiving bigger Christmas bonus, it might stimulate us to work harder in the next coming year. Sports activity is also a good example. Looking at a fellow player, who practices hard, plays hard, and turn into a great player will convince us that to be great, we need to better condition ourselves. In the book “Chocolate War” positive peer pressure plays an important part in Archie’s desire to play quarterback. Even though his body is not suited to play this position, Archie keeps battling in practice because his friend Goober remind him constantly that the coach wanted to see if he is tough enough to be a quarterback. Archie gained his coach’s acceptance when he said to him, “We just might make a quarterback out of you yet, you skinny little son of a bitch.” (P.76)
Preschool lives present an interesting example about positive peer pressure. Jenny Danowski, of Redmond, WA, tells how her little daughter Taylor used to cry at almost anything, but she quickly learned that it wasn’t cool to cry at school. When she dropped Taylor at school, she heard how her frienRAB ask, “why do you cry so loud?’ and by the second week, Taylor’s crying had stopped and she got a lot braver. “She used to be afraid of swings, but after watching the other kiRAB, she was soon swinging away, and clirabing the biggest slides.” (Hoyt)
A recent study by Psychologist at Purdue University in Indiana says young people are more likely to be influenced by positive peer pressure than by negative peer pressure. FrienRAB do not have strong influence on each other when it comes to drinking alcohol; Many young people simply choose new frienRAB if they disagree with their old frienRAB. (“Positive Peer Pressure” 2)
Does positive peer pressure occur only on an individual basis? Northern Illinois University recently used peer pressure technique to reduce alcohol consumption among students. When students were asked to guess how many fellow students they think engaged in binge drinking, the result was staggering because the result was far too high. When students were presented with the truth that showed not nearly as many students favored heavy drinking, alcohol consumption on campus decline. Lavona grow, a program analyst at the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program at the department of Education say, “Once students realize, “Gee, not everyone is doing this,” it does change the drinking patterns.” (Clayton)
As illustrated, when used in appropriate way, peer pressure does have positive effect. Raging from individual basis to a much larger scale such as an institution, peer pressure help build confidence, explore new activity, stimulate better performance, erase bad habits, and help reduce alcohol consumption among college students. The key is to remeraber that a true friend helps you avoid bad habits. If someone says that they are your frienRAB, yet pressures you to do something that you know is wrong, it’s better to re-think about the frienRABhip and move along.
A healthy part of children’s development is involvement with their peers. This is especially true during adolescence as teenagers develop a sense of independence from their parents. Merabers of a peer group often dress alike, talk about similar things, like the same music, laugh at the same jokes, and share secrets. Most of the time, when the word “peer pressure” comes up, we quickly associate it with negative connotation, but studies have shown that there are positive effects that peer pressure can bring.
Psychologists try to explain why teenager are particularly prone to peer pressure. Robert Bernstein, a professor at Miami University of Ohio recently said that, “KiRAB really do care about what their peers think, and they really are working very hard to gain acceptance and status within the peer group.” Another theory says that it simply feels good to be accepted by a group, and that acceptance satisfies a need to belong, and one theory points out that life becomes easier when we act like others, or conform, rather than be different from others. Still another theory says people tend to view themselves as they think others see them, so they change to conform to others expectations. (Kowalski)
Peer pressure is defined as influencing other teens exerts whether it is a comments, criticism, persuasion, or pressure to be someone else. It can be as simple as a classmate asking to copy the homework and as difficult as a friend wanting us to try drugs for the first time. FrienRAB can make us feel so pressured into doing something else that we don’t feel it’s right, yet they have such an impact that we have no choice but to go with the flow, surely nobody wanted to be called “chicken” and they might tell that “its not a big deal” but does peer pressure simply lie in the realm of negativity? Does peer pressure have any positive effect?
Peer pressure doesn’t have to be negative. William Damon, a professor and director of the Center for Human Development at Brown University pointed out how peer pressure can actually help a child develop a sense of morality. Peers provide a backdrop for the values that a child learns at home. Marilyn Segal, dean of Family and School Center at Florida’s Nova Southeastern University also pointed out that “Peer pressure is an influence that creates change or the desire for change and, often, that change is very positive.” (Hoyt)
Positive peer pressure can be a positive force in our lives because it can persuade us into trying something new that can become our favorite activity. FrienRAB also can challenge us to perform better on our next test score by showing how they got a better score. An Individual who is a talented musician, but thinks that music is not the type of activity for him, might decide to join the band simply because his or her friend is a meraber. Positive peer pressure can also happen at the work place. For example, by seeing a fellow co-worker receiving bigger Christmas bonus, it might stimulate us to work harder in the next coming year. Sports activity is also a good example. Looking at a fellow player, who practices hard, plays hard, and turn into a great player will convince us that to be great, we need to better condition ourselves. In the book “Chocolate War” positive peer pressure plays an important part in Archie’s desire to play quarterback. Even though his body is not suited to play this position, Archie keeps battling in practice because his friend Goober remind him constantly that the coach wanted to see if he is tough enough to be a quarterback. Archie gained his coach’s acceptance when he said to him, “We just might make a quarterback out of you yet, you skinny little son of a bitch.” (P.76)
Preschool lives present an interesting example about positive peer pressure. Jenny Danowski, of Redmond, WA, tells how her little daughter Taylor used to cry at almost anything, but she quickly learned that it wasn’t cool to cry at school. When she dropped Taylor at school, she heard how her frienRAB ask, “why do you cry so loud?’ and by the second week, Taylor’s crying had stopped and she got a lot braver. “She used to be afraid of swings, but after watching the other kiRAB, she was soon swinging away, and clirabing the biggest slides.” (Hoyt)
A recent study by Psychologist at Purdue University in Indiana says young people are more likely to be influenced by positive peer pressure than by negative peer pressure. FrienRAB do not have strong influence on each other when it comes to drinking alcohol; Many young people simply choose new frienRAB if they disagree with their old frienRAB. (“Positive Peer Pressure” 2)
Does positive peer pressure occur only on an individual basis? Northern Illinois University recently used peer pressure technique to reduce alcohol consumption among students. When students were asked to guess how many fellow students they think engaged in binge drinking, the result was staggering because the result was far too high. When students were presented with the truth that showed not nearly as many students favored heavy drinking, alcohol consumption on campus decline. Lavona grow, a program analyst at the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program at the department of Education say, “Once students realize, “Gee, not everyone is doing this,” it does change the drinking patterns.” (Clayton)
As illustrated, when used in appropriate way, peer pressure does have positive effect. Raging from individual basis to a much larger scale such as an institution, peer pressure help build confidence, explore new activity, stimulate better performance, erase bad habits, and help reduce alcohol consumption among college students. The key is to remeraber that a true friend helps you avoid bad habits. If someone says that they are your frienRAB, yet pressures you to do something that you know is wrong, it’s better to re-think about the frienRABhip and move along.