"Come on! ALL of us are cutting math. Who wants to go take that quiz? We're going
to take a walk and get lunch instead. Let's go!" says the coolest kid in your class.
Do you do what you know is right and go to math class, quiz and all? Or do you give
in and go with them?
As you grow older, you'll be faced with some challenging decisions. Some don't
have a clear right or wrong answer — like should you play soccer or field hockey?
Other decisions involve serious moral questions, like whether to cut class, try cigarettes, or lie to your parents.
Making decisions on your own is hard enough, but when other people get involved
and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder. People who are your
age, like your classmates, are called peers. When they try to influence how you act,
to get you to do something, it's called peer pressure. It's something
everyone has to deal with — even adults. Let's talk about how to handle it.
Defining Peer Pressure
Peers influence your life, even if you don't realize it, just by spending time
with you. You learn from them, and they learn from you. It's only human nature to
listen to and learn from other people in your age group.
Peers can have a positive influence on each other. Maybe another student in your
science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system or
someone on the soccer team taught you a cool trick with the ball. You might admire
a friend who is always a good sport and try to be more like him or her. Maybe you
got others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone's reading it. These
are examples of how peers positively influence each other every day.
Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways. For example, a few kids
in school might try to get you to cut class with them, your soccer friend might try
to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass her the ball, or a kid
in the neighborhood might want you to shoplift
with him.
Why Do People Give in to Peer Pressure?
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. Others go along because they are curious to try something new that others
are doing. The idea that "everyone's doing it" can influence some kids to leave their
better judgment, or their common sense, behind.
