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Avoid places where people do illegal activities or other things you feel uncomfortable around. Lean on people for support, like your friends, family, or a therapist. Peer pressure can not only bring about changes in behavior, but also thoughts, opinions, and feelings. While peer pressure is most frequently used to describe the influence of friends on teenagers, all people can be subject to peer pressure.
For instance, two friends might put positive pressure on each other to go to the gym together and stay accountable for their fitness goals. Even if no one tells the teenager to smoke a cigarette in the example above, the teen may still feel pressured by https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/dealing-with-peer-pressure/ their peers to partake in the activity because it seems like everyone is doing it. Though peer pressure is not usually used to describe socially desirable behaviors, such as exercising or studying, peer pressure can have positive effects in some cases.
You must also help them understand that there are times when it’s all right for them to say no. Taking illegal drugs, or driving with someone who has been drinking, are examples of times in which safety demands they say no. For example, if your teens feel uncomfortable going to parties where parents aren’t present, teach them how to politely decline a party invitation, saying no in a way that won’t cause hard feelings. If they are being pressured by friends to smoke cigarettes they might say, “No thanks. I feel sick from even just being around smoke.” Although we want our children to be polite, it is also vitally important, particularly for our girls, to know that a firm “No! When people learn to set their own limits, they’ll feel more in control of themselves in many situations throughout their lives.
The negative peer pressures can make a person feel bad about the things they are doing, even as they continue doing them as a way to feel connected to their peers. It’s a force of nature that can sneak up on a family like a thunderclap. Sometimes, it can cause stormy relationships between parents and their children.
Role modeling good emotional self-regulation may also help your child stick to their own values when it comes to peer pressure. Self-regulation involves the ability to control thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in order to manage current behavior and achieve long-term goals. Bullying can take many forms – physical, online, emotional, spreading rumours – and should never be tolerated in any school. If you feel bullied, you see someone being bullied, or even if you’ve been less than kind to others, talk to a member of staff or trusted adult and get things sorted. A group of three middle schoolers stand together, all wearing sunglasses.
That same confidence allows them to have less fear of failure. It’s a combination that lets them resist succumbing to peer pressure and have the strength to walk away. They will know that even if they “fail” among their peers, they will succeed in the long run. Many people consider peer pressure a negative thing, but this isn’t always the case.