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What Is Peer Pressure?
It is often associated with negative or harmful activities like substance use, reckless driving, and more.
Peer Pressure in Children
Peer pressure doesnt suddenly appear at a certain age.
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Gender can affect how these pressures are internalized and expressed.
Peer Pressure in Adults
Adults are not exempt from facing societal expectations and peer judgment or influence.
For example, you may carry the pressure of academic achievement into your career.
Peer pressure is more than someone asking you to try drugs or drink alcohol.
We hear much more about direct peer pressure, as it is easier to detect and recognize as problematic.
Is Peer Pressure Always Negative?
Some refer to this jot down of peer pressure as peer influence.
It may shake your sense of identity and self-confidence and may contribute to excessive worry.
It can be implicit or explicit, positive or negative.
While peer influence can improve your life, peer pressure can cause problems.
For example, you may feel pressure to do unsafe things that have risks you may not fully know.
Resisting peer pressure can involve avoiding it, saying no, and surrounding yourself with more positive influences.
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.Peer pressure.
American Academy of Family Physicians.Helping your child deal with peer pressure.
Pew Research.Most U.S. teens see anxiety and depression as a major problem among their peers.
American Psychological Association.Speaking of psychology: the good and bad of peer pressure.
2022:1-13. doi:10.1017/S0954579422000967
National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens.Why does peer pressure influence teens to try drugs?
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High-risk substance use among youth.
2016;58(3):323-329. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.10.253
American Psychological Association.How to help children and teens manage their stress.
