How to Handle Peer Pressure Fairfax County Public Schools

Every book was identical except for the last child who would sometimes get a different sized animal. When this child was asked to report their answer last in the presence of the other children, they would often give the same answer as their peers, even if it was incorrect. When they were asked to privately share their answer, however, they were likely to give the correct one regardless of their peers’ answers. However, a lot of social science research focuses on children and teens, who may seek the approval of peers as they move toward independence from their families.

Third, adolescents are less capable than adults of “top-down” cognitive control of impulsive behavior

But it’s also a time that peer influence can help teens thrive if it gets them more involved with their community or helps them learn behaviors to get along with others, like how to cooperate or be empathetic. That’s because their brains undergo changes that make them highly attuned to social situations. At the same time, the reward system in the teen brain becomes extra sensitive. Responding to peer pressure is part of human nature — but some people are more likely to give in, and others are better able to resist and stand their ground. People who are low on confidence and those who tend to follow rather than lead could be more likely to seek their peers’ approval by giving in to a risky challenge or suggestion.

Set a good example

In some cases, people may continue using the substance as part of social activity, such as drinking at parties or smoking because everyone else is taking a smoke break. People who feel overwhelmed by peer pressure may find strength and support from family members, friends, or a therapist. Children and teens who do not know how to handle peer pressure should talk with a trusted adult or invest in relationships with friends who do not use drugs or alcohol. For example, if a person sees that their group of friends spends a lot of time drinking, they may feel pressure to drink, even in the absence of direct peer pressure. Building a new social circle that supports your sobriety is another essential step. This might involve distancing yourself from current friends who use substances and seeking out groups or activities where substance use is not the norm.

Normative Influence and Heroism

You and your friends make dozens of decisions every day, and you influence each other’s choices and behaviors. This is often positive — it’s human nature to listen to and learn from other people in your age group. Positive https://ecosoberhouse.com/, on the other hand, can help prevent substance abuse and addiction. Research suggests simply having friends who choose not to smoke, use drugs, or drink alcohol can make it less likely young people will use substances. A process through which members of a relevant social group (e.g., similarly aged peers, friends, coworkers) exert social influence on others to conform to norms specifying appropriate thoughts, feelings, or actions. Peer pressure often involves the explicit or implicit threat of punishment if group norms are ignored or rejected.

• Whenever there is conflict, there is the potential for negative affect, which is highly disruptive to ongoing social interactions (Laursen et al., 2001).
• We have known for some time that peers exert considerable influence over deviant and antisocial behavior.
• Positive peer pressure often involves more encouragement and support than actual pressure or persuasion.
• Susceptibility to peer pressure increases during early adolescence, peaks around the age of 14, then decreases as adulthood approaches.
• Peers can be your friends who are about your age and have similar interests and experiences.
• You’re happy to see them care so much about their studies, but you also notice that they’re starting to buckle under the pressure and become frustrated with anything less than perfection.

Children may begin to worry about balancing a sense of loyalty to their friends with compassion and fairness to others. When it comes to other choices, such as swearing, taking a negative attitude toward school, or playing video games for hours, you might see better results by encouraging positive behaviors instead of banning the ones you don’t prefer. Teens look to friends and other members of their peer group for guidance.

This is OK, as long as the exercise or sport does not become an unhealthy way of coping, excessive to the point of negatively affecting their health, or dangerous (as in dangerous sports). A 2018 study explored the role of sex differences in peer pressure to smoke. It found that while both boys and girls experienced peer pressure, friends’ delinquent behavior influenced girls more than boys. Additionally, girls were more likely to select friends based on shared smoking status.

Instead, it’s the unspoken expectation to conform to the behaviors and norms of your social circle, which might include substance use. Compared to other age periods, adolescents have more incentive and greater opportunity which of the following is a type of indirect peer pressure? to maximize compatibility by enhancing similarity (Laursen, 2018). Practical constraints restrain friendship similarity during childhood and adulthood. Propinquity constraints limit the options children have for friends.

Peer Pressure Beyond Childhood

The theory does not specify a need for friendship per se, but it makes clear that friends are capable of satisfying this need and that many individuals rely on friends to do so. In this section, we provide an overview of other theories that address the origins and functions of peer influence. Whereas the influence‐compatibility model focuses on conformity motives and functions, the following models elaborate on the mechanisms that transform peer expectations into conformity. Taken together, the evidence suggests that adolescents are neurologically primed to monitor input from peers. During a time when the social landscape is shifting rapidly to accommodate peers, adolescents are especially responsive to their feedback.

• Compelling evidence demonstrates that peer influence is a pervasive force during adolescence, one that shapes adaptive and maladaptive attitudes and behaviors.
• Individuals who share attitudes, interests, and behaviors find it easy to get along.
• Or perhaps you emphasize the importance of making friends with similar values.
• Peer pressure refers to the fact that peers can pressure one another to engage in certain behaviors — both positive and negative.
• To support children in an age of screens and social media, it’s important for parents to teach healthy digital habits that encourage emotional health.

Neural Mechanisms of Peer Pressure