Peer Pressure in the Workplace How to Deal

The desire to fit in and feel like you are part of a group is normal, and most people feel this way sometimes, especially in the teen and young adult years. Peer pressure, that feeling that you have to do something to fit in, be accepted, or be respected, can be tough to deal with. Dealing with this pressure can be challenging, but it’s important to reflect on your own personal values and preferences and make decisions based on those rather than on peer pressure. It’s essential to understand most peer pressure isn’t like it looks in movies or TV shows.

• For example, if a group of good friends wants to get good grades, an adolescent may be positively influenced to study.
• Overall, the most important thing is to be true to yourself, especially when it is difficult to say no.
• This is why it is important to talk to your child early on about peer pressure and how to avoid being led into negative behaviors by their peers.
• Many people consider peer pressure a negative thing, but this isn’t always the case.

Overall, the most important thing is to be true to yourself, especially when it is difficult to say no. Identifying peer pressure and avoiding its effects are worth it in the long run. It helps you maintain your core self and creates a healthier environment around you. “I was being peer pressured to be mean to one of my friends… I knew it wasn’t right and I felt awful that I was doing this to one of my closest friends.”

Types of Peer Pressure

Peer pressure can lead a person to engage in sexual activity before they are ready. It may also influence the person to participate in unsafe, risky, or dangerous sexual activities. The consequences may include being exposed to a sexually transmitted infection (STI), developing pregnancy, or having images of yourself posted online without consent. There might be many cases in which you have experienced peer pressure, but you don’t want to respond to it, so you can think of a response which can help you to escape from that situation. This process will help you to handle peer pressure if you face it during that time.

For example, you may carry the pressure of academic achievement into your career. For example, envision saying ‘no’ firmly in various scenarios – cheating, substances, theft. Responses like “No thanks, I’ll pass” become handy scripts to draw upon if pressured later about uncomfortable things. Mutual sharing of struggles in a safe space with those you trust can normalise challenges many secretly face.

Why Do Some Kids Give in to Peer Pressure?

There will come a time when important decisions are made for future life. Teens should learn that every action has consequences and that if they do something negative, they will have to face them. Direct pressure is exerted when one peer group asks, suggests, persuades, or leads another to participate in a specific action, behavior, deed, or challenge. This pressure resides in a one-on-one interaction; the one being influenced has more opportunity to confront his or her decision against his or her set of beliefs and values. Now aged 20, I am still learning how to manage pressure from my peers. I wanted to share some of the lessons I have learnt along the way, hoping that you might use these tips if you ever feel this way yourself.

Refer to the below questions, which you can ask yourself while dealing with peer pressure. It doesn’t take long for children to learn that life how to deal with peer pressure is full of choices. By the time our children hit adolescence, they know making choices can bring a certain amount of pressure and stress.

Developing Healthy Strategies

The end goal is to reinforce constructive behaviours while avoiding peer pressure. When peer pressure is positive, it pushes you to be your best. Negative peer pressure is when someone who is a friend or part of a group you belong to makes you feel that you have to do something to be accepted. It’s the negative peer pressure that we usually think of when the phrase peer pressure is used. When you give in to negative peer pressure, you often feel guilty or disappointed with yourself for acting in a way that goes against your beliefs or values. Although parents worry about the influence of peers, overall, parents also can have a strong influence on whether children succumb to negative peer pressure.

• Rising above peer pressure means not giving in to the pull of others to act in a certain way.
• Extended family, teachers, counselors, clergy, and coaches are also good resources.
• Parents and other adults can make a difference in helping teens make the right decisions when it comes to alcohol and preventing underage drinking.
• They want to protect the friendships that they have, and so they’re more likely to do what their friends say because they’re worried about losing their friends and have difficulty making others.

We can draw from these successful programs and from our own life experience, to empower teens to say “No” effectively. Consider these 8 tips as you prepare your teen to face peer pressure. Parents can become the strongest influence on their children, as long as they understand and are aware of the different types of pressure they face. Seeing peers use substances regularly can also give the impression that the substances are safe to use or won’t have any negative effects. 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.

Strategies to Teach Teens to Deal With Peer Pressure

And so having a good relationship with your parents is going to buffer you against this adverse peer influence. When a school year begins, students are dealing with new classes, sports and other school-related activities. Most students will also face the challenges of peer pressure. Psychologist Brett Laursen, PhD, talks about the science behind peer pressure and what parents can do to help their kids. Peer pressure is a big deal for adolescents and young adults.