Peer Pressure
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Making decisions by yourself is hard enough, but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder. This is called peer pressure and there are two different kinds of it: good peer pressure and bad peer pressure. Youve probably had a parent or teacher advise you to “choose your friends wisely.” This is a main staple in making decisions because depending on who your friends are determines how theyll influence you.
Peers can have a positive influence on each other. You might respect a certain friend who is always a good student and try to be more like he or she. Friends like these can keep you away from the peers who might try to influence you to do the bad things.
Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways. It is tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure. Inner strength and self-confidence can help you stand firm, walk away, and resist doing something when you know better.One of the major problems with peer pressure occurs when you get sucked into something that you really didnt want to do and subsequently, become addicted to it.
Before engaging in a specific situation, you should take the time to read about each one and the possible drawbacks before you decide to try or not to try anything.
This is where you have to be able to say to yourself, “I made a decision and I truly feel that my decision was the correct one”, and then be able to express that repeatedly to all of your friends, and have enough respect for yourself to stand up and not give in.
Knowing who to listen to and who to avoid is the biggest step in fighting unwanted, negative peer pressure. Remember, its your life and your responsibility for determining what you make of it!