Society combines individuals from different classes, bearing different moral values, priorities, goals, and living standards. Everyone living in a society affects everyone living in the same society. This effect creates pressure, and this pressure is known as Peer Pressure.
This pressure allows intermixing of habits, values, and standards between different individuals that make a society.
Peer pressure urges an individual to adopt things that other people have. Peer pressure affects an individual and the whole family or circle linked with a person because a person has many promises to carry. So, it is necessary to consider the pros and cons of Peer Pressure.
Let’s discuss the types of Peer Pressure.
Positive peer pressure is often known as the attractive force that can result in positive outcomes, urging individuals to make valuable additions to their personalities, daily life, and behaviour.
A person who lives near a park often sees people going for a walk from his window every day. This will create a sense of adopting a natural lifestyle by engaging himself in positive activities so he might look smart and active throughout the day.
The influence, including unnecessary habits for survival that can affect a person’s health and family or alter the natural behaviour of a person, falls under the category of negative peer pressure.
For Example: Smoking is common among youngsters today. In Asian countries like Pakistan, boys get a warm air of independence after matric, when they are likely exposed to the world. During college, they usually find people smoking in their friend group, and being a non-smoker, one will avoid smoking. Still, a smoker’s sense of pride for being a smoker will pressurise a non- smoker to try at least one in his life to experience how it feels when a person smokes. This single time was when a non-smoker started smoking as a source of recreation after being influenced by a fellow smoker.
Various factors affect Peer Pressure. In other words, these factors determine how much pressure from people around can influence a person.
Age: At a young age, a person is more likely to be affected by his surroundings than adults. This can be due to many reasons, including lack of experience at a young age, more attraction, more curiosity for things, more obliged to adventures, less fear, and many more. On the other hand, adults have spent their whole life and know very well that wearing handsome goggles to attract the opposite gender will result in no outcomes, and it is just a waste of money and time.
Gender: No straightforward approach can tell us whether boys are more subjected to peer pressure than girls and vice versa. This is because peer pressure is experienced individually, irrespective of gender. In contrast, the pressure faced by girls can be different compared to boys, and ultimately the response from both genders will also fall into separate boxes. We have seen that boys are more likely to face peer pressure related to their deviant behaviour, participation in physical activities, and risk-taking abilities. On the other hand, girls are subjected to pressure related to their studies, appearance, and social acceptance. So, gender base discrimination to Peer Pressure is not as much highlighted as others.
Social status is the position of an individual in society, which is also linked with a person’s family background. Social status means what a person holds in front and what he holds at his back (family background). These two things are undoubtedly crucial factors for determining the extent of Peer Pressure an individual faces. These two things are also crucial for determining the effective or non-effective response to such pressure.
More commonly, it is seen that in developing countries, the rule of law needs to be functional, and many youngsters blow the rules and regulations. Suppose a group of friends is accused of bad driving or other social law violations. In that case, those with strong social status and family background are more likely to be considered innocent. In contrast, the one who is a labourer’s son will be sent behind bars because their social status and family
background were insufficient to cope with this situation. So, social status and family background significantly contribute to handling and reacting to Peer Pressure.
Peer pressure is considered harmful but can also positively impact with a resistive approach. We know very well that the mind is a universe, and being a universe, it can make a hell of heaven and a heaven of hell. Many people who resist this influence or wrong influence from their surroundings mostly have well-organized personalities, which gives them a sense of satisfaction and self-confidence.
This is only possible if a person has a clear vision and bears such nerves to ignore the attraction forces that can create hurdles for his future ambitions, aims, or targets. A person who neglects or resists the attractive forces knows typically the appropriate time for each thing.
Consider a student with resistive behaviour; he observes people following modern lifestyles, luxurious cars, and modern attires. Still, he firmly believes there are better times to enjoy such a luxurious life than this. He has to work or invest his time elsewhere, which can be a source of his recognition, respect, and acceptability.
This type of thinking will bring the better version of that person, and he will enjoy such luxurious things at a suitable period, where he will be delighted that he has earned all these facilities by not being distracted by them at the wrong time.
The negative effect of Peer pressure is also of great importance as it can destroy many intellectual minds by indulging them in temporary peace or comfort. To be in your comfort zone early or in your comfort zone without struggling always leads to setting up a puzzle in mind, and such a person who is a victim of such comfort zone disorder will find shortcuts and ultimately adopt risky techniques that are not always fruitful. To execrate oneself for being in a poor family is one of the main reasons behind the downfall of great minds. When people are influenced by cars, houses, and modern lifestyles, they are far from their target or aim.
Such behaviour will result in shut down of creative minds. This shutdown will be another cause of an inferiority complex that can result in behavioural changes and, ultimately, a person becomes a psychological patient. People with inferiority complexes are more likely to become useless as they spend their working time thinking about what will happen if they reach their desired position. This more than usual, future thinking will result in a person’s downfall. Future perception is no doubt necessary, but too much involvement in the imaginative world will cause a mental disorder. There is an actual existence, too, and we must keep the balance between an imaginative and realistic world.
Lets discuss the tips to cope with this issue:
- Source identification is vital for the resolution of all problems. All medication or counselling will only be fruitful once the source is known. The source from where pressure is coming should be avoided by the individual who wants to adopt a resistive approach. Suppose the source is family, pressurizing a person to mould himself into a career not according to his strengths or weaknesses. In that case, he should try to convince his family about his future moves and intentions and what he will achieve with his planning. So, making yourself clear and satisfying the ones with the powers to mould yourself into any other thing against your abilities is of utmost importance. This can only be done if a person has a clear ambition from the start and perceives his final destination. So, source identification and source satisfaction are essential to help a person deal with Peer Pressure.
- Sometimes, avoidance is one of the appropriate options for an individual to remain satisfied with his thinking and personality. One should avoid any source that is against his ideology or personality. He will not deviate from his ambitions when he does not listen to someone.
- Many people are reluctant to refuse proposals against their interests and are also severely influenced. A person’s mental satisfaction and personal priorities should be of utmost importance. One should learn to say “NO” loudly and clearly. This will not allow others to dominate or impose their orders on him. So, saying “NO” is a beautiful art that one must learn to bring satisfaction and uniformity.
- Last, one should adopt a company of peers with positive and supportive mindsets. Many people love to support others and enjoy their success as their success. So, be with them as long as you can.
These all will positively impact a person’s personality, a personality that will become a source of Positive Peer Pressure for incoming generations.