Do Not Fall Into Peer Pressure
The phrase, “everybody’s doing it,” is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence exerted on an individual in order to get that person to act or believe in a similar way as a larger group.
People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly surprising that some portion of their self-esteem comes from the approval of others. This instinct is why the approval of peers, and the fear of disapproval, is such a powerful force in many people’s lives.
For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes like an addiction; in order to satisfy the craving, they may go so far as to abandon their sense of right and wrong.
There is no question that some people are more vulnerable to peer pressure than others, and that some people are more vulnerable to it at one stage in life than in another. Being self-aware is at the root of managing this type of pressure. Although peer pressure is sometimes quite overt, it can also be so subtle that a person may not even notice that it is affecting his or her behavior.
