Peer Pressure: Why It Is Worse Than Ever

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Merriam-Webster defines a peer as “a person who belongs to the same age group or social group as someone else.” ("Peer." Merriam-Webster) Right away, all sorts of people should come to mind. Co-workers, friends, even family. A peer is not necessarily someone you are close to, have a common interest with, or are even just friends with, they are simply someone who is similar to you based on age, grade, social class, gender, and other things you cannot control. Unless you move to a deserted island, you will always have peers. Peers have always been around, but to what extent? We will explore a little bit of how youth today are impacted by their peers, and compare it to how the youth of 50 years ago were impacted by their peers. Is there a difference? Or was one generation more influenced by their peers than the other? These are questions that will be answered by the end of this paper, along with a few more.

Peer pressure is the term used to describe the influence from members of one's peer group. It can be positive, such as a bunch of guys convincing their very athletic friend to go out for sports instead of getting into trouble or it can be negative, such as a group of teens encouraging a younger kid to try smoking to fit in. Peer groups assert an amount of peer pressure automatically, even if they are not trying. As soon as one of the members of a group knows that another member is going to do one thing, it will influence his decision at least to some degree. Now the choice is still up to the individual, usually, but everyone has some influence.

The youth of today face heavy peer pressure to conform to the worlds standards from a young age. Kids encounter both negative and positive peer pressure as they transition into adol...

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...ertips and increased opportunities, such as a car, and you've got a recipe for disaster. Peer groups are playing a larger role in kids lives than ever before, and if the patterns continue, their influence will only grow.

Works Cited

Heubeck, Elizabeth. "Raising a Pressure-Proof Child." Raising a Pressure-Proof Child. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. .

Psychology. Vol. 4. Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2002. 144-49. Print.

Scott, Sharon, and Sharon Scott. "1. Negative Peer Pressure." Peer Pressure Reversal: An Adult Guide to Developing a Responsible Child. Amherst, MA: HRD, 1997. 3. Web.

Feller, Robyn M. Everything You Need to Know about Peer Pressure. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2001. Print

"Peer." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.

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