Peer pressure

Peer pressure

By Jimmy Henderson (MA Psychology)

Peer pressure can be explained as your child doing something within a group which they would normally not do if he or she was alone. Peer pressure is especially prominent during the teenage years, when teens develop very powerful needs to form their own identity and to be respected and accepted, especially by peers.

These needs, coupled with a fear of social rejection, lend themselves to a teenager being very vulnerable to peer pressure. Sometimes gaining this acceptance means that they feel that have to be part of a social group, usually the ‘in-group’, in which they can find an identity and express their personalities. Unfortunately, these peer groups can sometimes engage in very strange and risky behaviours in which stronger personalities dominate and are very persuasive.

Factors influencing peer pressure.

A number of important factors can increase or moderate the effect of peer pressure. These include the personal characteristics of the teenager, his or her home situation, culture, as well as a series of social and environmental factors.

Personal characteristics such as the maturity, self-image and self esteem of the particular teenager play a great role in peer pressure.
Immaturity is often a characteristic of a child who has lived a sheltered or over-indulgent life and never really mastered the communication or life-skills required for independent thinking and for resisting peer pressure. Immaturity can also result from an unfavourable childhood and family circumstances which could include poverty, family violence, abuse or neglect and can result in teenager with a limited common sense, one who is prone to unthinking actions and a general lack of responsibility, which, coupled with peer pressure, can result in risk behaviour.

Other personal attributes such as obesity, IQ or academic performance can also affect a child’s or teenager’s self-image and self-esteem and make him or her more vulnerable to peer pressure. Self-image can simply be defined as that which teenagers see when they look in the mirror. In other words, that which they believe concerning their attractiveness to others, their capabilities, culture, moral or religious values and their family’s economic status and position in the community. This self-image is very vulnerable and he or she will go to great lengths (including conforming to peer pressure), merely to maintain a positive self-image to his or her social group.

Self-esteem is more concerned more with emotions, the way teenagers feel about themselves, and their sense of self-worth. A low self-esteem, arising from the unfavourable family and social conditions mentioned above, will also make them more vulnerable to peer pressure. In this regard, the role of the media and advertising in fuelling teenage insecurities also cannot be excluded. The feelings of self-worth of teenagers who do not meet the ideals of fashion and appearance portrayed in magazines and films and on television, can be negatively affected, rendering them vulnerable to peer pressure.

Finally, being under the influence of alcohol or drugs at social events such as parties and clubs will also lower teenage inhibitions and their resistance to peer pressure.

Building resilience to peer pressure

As stated, a favourable home environment can play an important role in empowering teenagers to resist peer pressure. These positive factors can include a good relationship with parents or caregivers and a parenting approach which encourages independent thinking, self-discipline and high moral and spiritual values. In other words, if properly guided and disciplined when young, teenagers can be more resilient to peer pressure.

A stable home situation, effective parenting skills and early guidance can also reduce the possibility of unsuitable friends that would exert peer pressure and lead the teen towards risk behavior. Risk behavior can be explained as those actions which could compromise the physical, emotional, social or psychological well-being of the teenager. In other words, actions that are ultimately self-destructive in nature. These behaviours include the abuse of alcohol, drugs, unsafe sexual practices and promiscuity, delinquency, juvenile violence and crime. Even smoking can be considered as dangerous to the health of young people and is therefore classified as risk behaviour.

Finally, a good plan to resist peer pressure should include encouraging the teenager to look in a mirror when feeling pressurized and to ask himself/herself if this is really what they wish to do.

Signs of distress

A warning sign of possible involvement in risk behaviour as the result of peer pressure would be sudden changes in mood and social behaviour. A teenager becoming more secretive and withdrawn suggests possible emotional or psychological distress. If the situation is serious and leading towards teenage depression, he or she will also become lethargic, less socially active and sleep more than usual. A loss of appetite or eating disorders may also be the result of social pressures.

Changes in thinking could also occur, such as a loss of concentration, focus and memory which would affect school performance. Teens in distress would be pre-occupied with negative thoughts and have inaccurate and distorted perceptions of themselves or their circumstances. In worst case scenarios, they could even talk about killing themselves. Parents or caregivers need to cultivate an awareness of the early warning signs of peer pressure, risk behavior and distress and be prepared to call in expert help if the situation is serious.