Overcoming Peer Pressure

What is Peer Pressure?

Are you a teen? If so you might be facing this problem. It’s not a big problem, it’s a HUGE problem. I’m talking about peer pressure. There are both positive and negative types of peer pressure.  Peer pressure  is defined as an influence from members of one's peer group, which basically means that your friends influence you into acting a certain way or making decisions.
Negative peer pressure goes against your will, or what you know is right. Although you don’t notice this, people are pressured constantly, and they sometimes let themselves be influenced. Teenagers sometimes allow themselves to be pressured because they just want to fit in and be “cool” like the people that they are pressured by. It is very important to be careful on what decisions you make when you are in a pressured situation.

 

 

Types of Peer Pressure

Peer pressure can either be good or bad. Some types of good peer pressure may include your friends pressuring you into joining sports or after school programs, or maybe even your sister persuading you to go for a jog with her. Positive peer pressure will always benefit you and help you improve in some way. For example, joining a sport will most likely benefit your health.
However negative peer pressure will almost always lead to some type of bad consequence. These consequences may include getting arrested and even losing the trust of a loved one. A few examples of negative peer pressure can be an older sibling trying to make you smoke or drink with them, or a friend trying to convince you into stealing something from a gas station.
Peer pressure, negative or positive, will always have a consequence. Peer pressure can be a gateway into much more serious issues like drug addiction, or jail. But there are always positive influences that can keep you out of these situations.

Overcome Peer Pressure

When you are trying to avoid peer pressure from friends there are a few personality traits that will always help you make the right decision.  Some of these qualities include having good self-esteem, knowing your strengths, and standing your ground. For example if your friend is trying to pressure you into trying drugs or doing something bad, you should go with people who respect your decisions and won’t interfere with your path to a future.
When somebody tells you that the only way you could be cool or hang out with them is if you go against what is right, you need to realize that you shouldn’t hang out with those people anymore because they do not respect you or your decisions.