The Benefits of Peer Pressure for Teenagers

Everyone has experienced peer pressure whether it is in a regular basis or infrequently. Nonetheless we all endured it once in our life time. Peer pressure has a significant role in our society today. It is the immediate influence caused by your peers encouraging you to participate in unseemly behavior. It can have positive or negative impact and effects. Moreover, it was indicated that it affects commonly teenagers and adolescence due to their lack of knowledge and experience. Additionally, peer pressure occurs due to children having low-self-esteem and to children who isolate themselves from their family and surroundings. Usually the victims of peer pressure are individuals who suffer from low self-confidence because they try to boost their confidence by pursuing the wrong group of people in order to feel desired and receive validation. Similarly, teenagers prey on and bully the vulnerable and sensitive students. Eventually the combination of these two very different groups will surely lead to the latter descending in the wrong path. I believe anyone can avoid peer pressure and make the right decisions; firstly, by seeking help and interacting with their family who know better. Secondly, to improve the overall relationship between teenagers by developing their attitude and behavior. This is best as peer pressure can affect kids both mentally and physically.

According to Alison (2013), systematically observed children who are often distant from their family members showed low self-esteem because there is no one to look up to, there is a need to find a role model and this leads to change in values and morals. Hence help is enormously affective in eliminating peer pressure. It is estimated that intimate time devoted for family can defeat peer pressure by increasing confidence and promoting the behavior of refusing to participate in destructive situations. On the other hand, oppressors usually tend to change individual’s attitudes, belief and behavior and the victim often does not realize the influence and see its affecting them mentally, physically and spiritually. Besides there is social pressure where society pressures children to do certain things or else they’re not valued such as applying makeup defines who you are. It was statistically estimated that after teenagers seek help, they communicate better and show higher levels of self-worth and better mental health. According to Stacy Zeiger, “only 10 percent of teenagers surveyed said that they had not been influenced by peer pressure. In that same group, 28 percent of teenagers agreed that giving in to peer pressure improved their social standing and nearly half of those surveyed admitted to picking on someone only after a friend picked on that person.”

Secondly, the surrounding of your peers is very affective and can cause peer pressure. Research suggest that one of the fundamental reasons that bullies exist is because they want to be equivalent to others and feel authoritative. Therefore, they criticize particularly the sympathetic individuals who require attention and don’t feel safe in their own skin. Nevertheless, the victims are usually led to not having any say due to their timidness. This is proven by Raising Children Network (2016), it stated that teenagers and children behavior is formed by the desire to feel that they belong somewhere and feel accepted and socially admired. (Townshend, T.G., 2013). Despite, the victim’s emotions and affection being devalued, children that are affected by peer pressure adapt unpleasant behavior or attitudes inspired from their oppressor. One of the major reasons they go further with being pressured according to KidsHealth is “Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked, to fit in, or because they worry that other kids might make fun of them if they don’t go along with the group” (Dealing with Peer Pressure, 2015). Comparatively, because they’re undermined it can result in depression. However, the oppressors usually gain more power and confidence. Nevertheless, the negative aspect is the victims suffer in decision making and are usually unaware whilst being encouraged to toxic directions, engaging them in harmful habits such as participating in drugs, smoking and alcohol which can result in addiction (Townshend, T.G. 2013). In contrast, the positive aspect is peers can provide others to quit inadequate habits and motivate them with productive whilst help them improve to cease them procrastinate.

In conclusion, it is important to note peer pressure can be beneficial in some respects where teenagers can encourage each other and thrive together, Nonetheless, unfortunately the opposite is true most of the time. Peer pressure usually leads to making the wrong decisions however this can be overcome by initiating family-time, so teenagers can learn from adults. Additionally, to promote healthy friendship among adolescents by converting troubled bullies to peers who do not have self-issues. This way they do not have reason to prey on anyone else.