Peer Pressure In Teenagers

Peer pressure means being influenced or pushed over by friends to do something that you would not wish to do otherwise. Adolescence is an age when teenagers try to create an identity for themselves. They have a desperate need to belong to a group and thus, often end up becoming a soft target for peer pressure. Bad advice, curiosity to try something that everyone else is indulging in or just the fear of being teased by friends (for not doing what others are doing) lead teens to do things they would rather not do, if left to their better judgment.

A teenager is exposed to several groups of peers during his adolescence years - at college, in the neighborhood, at playgrounds, and so on. All of these groups may have unique traits, norms, cultures and value systems. His behavior as well as his perception about life depends much on how these peers affect him. Peer pressure is not always negative and, at times, may reinforce family value systems. However, the chances of peer pressure having adverse effects are always much greater and needs to be guarded against.

Getting Detached From Family
At adolescence, peer relations become the core of a person's life. Teenagers want to socialize as much as they can and have fun with their peers, rather than spending time with their families. They seem to prefer their friends and classmates for close relations. The result is that there are frequent conflicts and disagreements between teens and their parents. They tend to maintain distance from their parents and eventually, lose all the emotional closeness and warmth that was once there between them.

Help Your Teen Overcome Peer Pressure