What is Peer Pressure?
Making good mates is important, but sometimes trying to fit in with a group can turn sour. Giving in to demands from your friends to do something you normally wouldn’t do can leave you feeling guilty, regretful, and ashamed, embarrassed or even frightened. Wanting to feel part of something can put pressure on you to act in definite ways. If you’re doing rather you wouldn’t normally do, or are not doing something you’d like to do, simply so that you’ll be accepted by the people you hang out with, you’re suffering from peer pressure. It is so easy to concede defeat to peer pressure because everyone wants to squeeze in and be liked. Especially when it seems like “everyone is doing it”. Sometimes people give in to peer pressure because they do not want to hurt someone’s feelings or they do not know how to get out of the state of affairs so they just say “yes”.
How to contend with Peer Pressure?
Peer pressure isn’t always a bad thing; sometimes it can be good, such as when your friends stop you from doing something dumb that you’ll later lament. But habitually peer pressure can be linked to pessimistic stuff. They can persuade each other to skip classes, pilfer, cheat, use drugs or alcohol, share inappropriate material online, or become involve in other risky behaviours. The majority of teens with abuse problems began using drugs or alcohol as an upshot of peer pressure. This pressure can happen in person or even on social media. As this is an age of technology and social media with its positive influence also exhibits the negative manipulation as well. The victims of peer pressure are usually teenagers. When they find the improper stuff, they imitate or want to buy it. Because the teenagers are immature and they can’t decide what is right and wrong for them, they usually get influenced by their peers.
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Talk to your parents.
Mother and Daughter Talking The first and the most important thing for you to talk to your parents, as teenagers are in a certain age and they tend to go towards negative things. Sharing your problems and your daily issues with your parents will help you to understand how to cope with them in a better way. Teenagers don’t really felt like talking to their parents openly, and trust their peers or friends more. They spill their secrets and will get manipulated by their friends. Parents can also help by recognizing when their child is having a problem with peer pressure. They should encourage open and honest communication. It is Parents’ duty to help their child develop self-confidence. Kids who feel positive about themselves are less vulnerable to peer pressure. They should also develop backup plans to help kids get out of uncomfortable or dangerous situations. For example, let them know you’ll always come get them, no matter what so that they may feel safe.
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Learn to say ‘No’.
Say ‘no’ When you feel like you are being pressurized without your will, it is okay to say ‘no’. It will not make you coward in front of your peers. It is completely normal and okay to be different from the rest of the group. It is what defines you. Always be yourself and always be unbreakable. Self-confidence is the key.
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Avoid people who pressurize you.
Avoid negativity
One should be very careful while choosing and making good friends. The world is full of dangerous and negative people. Avoid that person who gives you negative vibes or is trying to pressurize you to do something drastic. You may think that these people are your best friends, as they’ll speak sugar coated stuff on your face, but actually will strike you behind your backs. Some friends are friends only for their own benefits. Whenever they feel like their share with you is over, they’ll silently walk away from your life, leaving you broken and shattered. People like these are not your friends, not really. A true friend will always bring you towards positivity even though you are befriending wrong people. They’ll likely try to talk some sense into you, and these are the friends that one aims for and longs for.
What drastic decisions can Teenagers make that’ll make them regret later?
Don’t regret
Teenage is a phase when an individual is developing and learning through discovery. They are young, raw and yet to become mature. Thereby, the possibilities of misjudging a situation and taking wrong pronouncements are inestimable. These are some reasons why teens end up committing crimes under peer pressure.
Often it is difficult to make the teen accountable for the criminal act which he commits as he is not yet fully evolved psychologically to make the correct decision or use his prudence with the desired understanding. It is very important to make right decisions. As this is a critical age and the person is developing his/her future; one wrong act may ruin everything. The importance of peers declines upon entering adulthood. When we grow up and glace back to the things we had done in our teenage, we sometimes likely give it a ridicules laugh or if we did something very serious, it’ll make us regret that choice later. Then there will be no use of crying over split milk.
As they say that teenage is the very basis of our character. The things we did in that age will stay with us the rest of our lives, be it good deeds or the bad ones. So it is crucial to avoid the negativity and the judgemental eye. Always be optimistic and be close to your parents and the real sincere loyal friends. Because you’ll likely find the person with common interest in no time, but it’ll take ages to find the real true soul who will stay with you forever, no matter what.
