Resisting peer pressure can involve avoiding it, saying no, and surrounding yourself with more positive influences. It can be helpful to understand its definition, recognise when it is happening, and distinguish if it is positive or negative before taking any action. To stop negative peer pressure, we may practise different ways of saying no or limit our exposure to it, wherever possible. Lastly, seek help from someone you trust, a person of authority, or a professional therapist.

• We feel peer pressure when we seek approval from others instead of from God.
• Ultimately, how to tackle peer pressure uplifts or undermines the intentions and methods.
• Additionally, therapy can help identify underlying issues like anxiety or low self-esteem that may make a teen more susceptible to peer influence.
• You might see your friends experimenting with drugs and alcohol and it’…

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If saying no is difficult for you, come up with different ways to say no. Which ways are you more comfortable with, or less uncomfortable with? Know that if you are not comfortable explaining, the word “no” alone is a full sentence. Learning more about assertive communication is very helpful here. It is possible to remain friends with someone who does things you that don’t like, without you having to change for them.

Helping teens deal with peer pressure

In other words, while this can be an innate reaction or fear, there are ways to handle peer pressure effectively. For example, ask yourself – do certain friends bring out my best self? Mutual sharing of struggles in a safe space with those you trust can normalise challenges many secretly face.

• Especially in cases like those above, this gives YOU an opportunity to influence your peers positively.
• However, peer pressure can also be exerted by the larger culture.
• Prevalent causes include wanting to “fit in”, wanting to be liked by others, or wanting to be accepted by one’s peers.
• It’s easier to resist external pressure when you put some time and space between your reaction and the situation.

Examples of Negative Peer Pressure

They could even be random strangers who stand up for what is right. If you are unsure of how to even bring up the topic, professional therapy can bridge the gap by offering a safe and confidential space for you to share your concerns. Rather than worrying about the effects of their children’s friendships, parents would do well to focus on creating a positive, supportive home environment. That way, even if your child is peer pressured to do something they don’t want to do, they’ll feel comfortable coming to you to talk about it first.

• Of course, they could also be friends or family members whom you trust.
• Keep in mind overcoming peer pressure is not always easy so you need to trust yourself, believe in your abilities, and most important never underestimate the power of your voice and choices.
• It may also influence the person to participate in unsafe, risky, or dangerous sexual activities.
• Depending on the situation, you may offer help in various ways.
• Walking away, setting a boundary, or taking space from the connection is totally okay.

Usually, in the context of resisting drugs and alcohol or other dangerous behaviors. Nonetheless, peer pressure goes beyond that narrow definition. Peers can be your friends who are about your age and have similar interests and experiences. Peers can also be other kids who are about your age and are involved in the same activities with you or are part of a community or group you belong to. You may not consider all of your peers to be friends, but they can all influence you. Peer pressure occurs when a peer group exerts direct or indirect pressure to do certain actions.

• Peer pressure can range from minor to extreme, but it can affect anyone.
• It’s possible that a friend who is peer pressuring you simply wants to spend more time with you or connect with you, but they don’t know how else to ask.
• Peer pressure to use substances like alcohol and cannabis can unfold into problems with substance abuse.
• So be ready with your exit strategy because you never know when you need it.

Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book and now everyone’s reading it. It’s tempting to want to be “cool.” But I encourage you to want to be sanctified and pleasing to God. For example, there’s evidence that seeing a peer act with integrity makes it easier for you to do so. If a which of the following is a type of indirect peer pressure? peer speaks against injustice, you might feel more able to do the same.

Positive peer pressure can foster sense of belonging, self-confidence and a solidified sense of self. Peer pressure is internal or external pressure felt to behave in certain ways, both good and bad. Peer pressure begins as early as age 10 with the forming of social groups in elementary school and increases during adolescence, throughout junior high and high school.

Learn strategies that can help you handle negative peer pressure.

Peer pressure can not only bring about changes in behavior, but also thoughts, opinions, and feelings. While peer pressure is most frequently used to describe the influence of friends on teenagers, all people can be subject to peer pressure. When a person has been pressured into unhealthy habits, a counselor can help the individual reevaluate and change their behavior. Older teens and young adults may be peer pressured to engage in harmful activities like drinking alcohol, smoking, or reckless driving. At this age, peer pressure has the potential to affect a child’s long-term health and well-being and put them into dangerous situations.

Usually, you’ll be able to distinguish the two by how you feel during the conversation. Technically speaking, peer pressure and social pressure aren’t the same. The basic definition of “peer pressure” is unsolicited influence from members of one’s peer group. Seek out relationships with those who lift you, not drag you down. You’ll feel less alone when pressured if you have even one friend committed to avoiding risky behaviour, too. Young people may be more susceptible to peer pressure because their identities are still forming; they desire to fit in and not be bullied and have less risk aversion than adults.