Definition of Peer Pressure by Merriam Webster

According to the Merriam Webster’s dictionary peer group is a group of people of approximately the same age, status and interest and peer pressure as a feeling that one must do the same things as other people of one’s age and social group in order to be liked or respected by them. Peer pressure can be a positive thing if it is heling the child to do good things or achieve high grades and be focused or it can be negative and can be catastrophic. When peer pressure affects in a negative way it becomes a major concern for all the parents and affects many teenager’s lives today. Peer pressure can persuade a child or teenager to act and do things in a certain way that they normally wouldn’t do.

Patricia and Peter Adler are educators and sociologists who conducted an observation in 1998 at two elementary schools in Colorado. During that period, they observed that children from schools separate themselves by gender and based on that they started to make popular and dominant groups among themselves; boys on based on athletics, coolness, toughness and girls on based on attractiveness, ability to attract more boys, dressing sense and makeup and how they carry themselves. Patricia and Peter also observed that boys who are very smart and have high grades were considered as nerds and they were not so popular and on the other hand girls who were smart and high achievers were popular and it increased their standing among the peers.

In few cases, especially during high school time peer pressure become inevitable and sometimes they can make us do such things that are socially unacceptable and inappropriate for e.g. Drugs, Alcohol and Theft, as well as it can violate our own beliefs and culture for e.g. dating, kissing or sex or any physical relations when you are not prepared, violent behavior etc. In my opinion, the desire of wanting to be socially acceptable and approved can make us do certain things which can drastically change our lives without intending it, so if anyone is facing the peer pressure in a negative way should get help immediately and talk to a responsible adult.

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