Peer Pressure

As part of a group of friends, you and your peers experience similar activities and stresses. Having a peer group is a very important part of being a teenager, as it is a way for you to learn about the world of people your age. Because of this, it is easy for our peers to influence your decision-making. In this part of the lesson, we will explore peer pressure and its role in your social and emotional health. We will then look at ways of communication to combat peer pressure.

Peer pressure is any external influence on our decisions. For example, you might develop an exercise routine because you and your friends are planning on trying out for the tennis team. This is an example of positive peer pressure because the external influence of your friends results in an improvement in your overall health. On the other hand, you might decide to try smoking because your friends think it looks cool. This is an example of negative peer pressure because the outcome harms your overall health.

Important mechanisms for dealing with peer pressure are conflict resolution and communication. Conflict resolution skills include understanding how the conflict is making you feel, listening to the person you are having a conflict with, and communicating directly and assertively.

Examples of assertive communication include "I feel" statements. For example, "I feel like you are pressuring me to smoke a cigarette." This is an effective way of saying what is on your mind clearly without being aggressive. Communication that is not clear may be interpreted as passive or aggressive. The table below summarizes forms of communication.