Different Types of Peer Pressure: Examples and Coping Strategies

On the one hand, positive peer pressure can improve academic performance. This happens when students have good relationships with other peers who promote academic engagement. This often occurs when students join groups that encourage disengagement from school, which has a negative impact on academic practices. In conclusion, peer pressure is a complex and powerful force that shapes our lives in countless ways.

Peer Pressure in Psychology: Definition, Types, and Impact on Behavior

Or if a middle schooler learns that the popular kids’ parties include alcohol or drugs, that indirect pressure may prompt them to experiment as a way to gain acceptance. Indirect peer pressure is subtle and often unintentional, involving implicit expectations or societal norms. It can include observing peers’ behaviors and feeling the need to conform without Halfway house any direct communication. For instance, seeing friends frequently use social media filters to enhance their appearance can create an implicit pressure to do the same. The effects of peer pressure on teenagers can be both positive and negative.

Peer pressure on social media across cultures

Examples of negative peer pressure include trying to talk someone into trying drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and sex. The dynamics of a peer group can be a positive influence and assist in establishing healthy and wholesome behaviors that are age-appropriate and socially accepted. For example, if a group of good friends wants to get good grades, an adolescent may be positively influenced to study. Parents can help their children resist negative peer pressure by teaching them self-confidence, setting clear boundaries and expectations, and providing supportive relationships and guidance.

• In conclusion, peer pressure is a complex and powerful force that shapes our lives in countless ways.
• Megan’s therapeutic approach is multifaceted, drawing from narrative, feminist, and existential therapy modalities.
• What starts out as positive peer pressure may become negative pressure if it leads a person to over-identify with sports, for example, putting exercise and competition above all else.

Choose Your Friends Wisely

This type of peer pressure can be exemplified in fashion choices, personal interactions, social behaviors, teams, parties, media, and groups of friends, among others. Indirect peer pressure is similar to unspoken pressure in that it is subtle and not explicitly stated but can still strongly influence an impressionable young individual. For instance, when a teen overhears their friend gossiping about another person and then reacts to the gossip, that is considered indirect peer pressure.

Peer pressure and adolescent behaviors

A teen may feel empowered by his/her friends because of the positivity from them. It would be good for teens to surround themselves with people their age who have the same interests and share the same behavior. 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. The most common type of negative pressure is risk-taking behaviors like drug use.

Here is an activity you can do to become aware of the different types of peer pressure. Review the following scenarios and ask if each one is an example of direct negative peer pressure, indirect negative peer pressure or positive peer pressure. Negative peer pressure occurs when friends negatively influence each other.

Set Personal Boundaries

• 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.
• Positive peer pressure can also foster a sense of belonging and social support, which can promote positive mental health outcomes.
• She is a trauma-informed clinician who prioritizes the relationship between clinician and client.

Remember, it’s okay to prioritize your well-being over social acceptance. Having a clear understanding of your own values, beliefs, and priorities helps you make decisions that align with your true self, rather than succumbing to external influences. Reflect on what is important to you and use this as a guide when faced with pressure to conform.

Social media

Direct peer pressure is normally behavior-centric, like having alcohol forced on you when you’re known not to drink. At this age, research suggests, group dynamics begin to form among children, and some may be excluded from the larger group. Children may begin to worry about balancing a sense of loyalty to their friends with compassion and fairness to others. Peer pressure is a powerful force that can influence individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This form of pressure is clear and easy to recognize because it involves direct interactions between people who influence others through persuasion, coercion, or threats (Paul, 2011). The dynamics vary but essentially involve peers urging each other into sharing the same attitudes, beliefs, values, behaviors, etc.