Nowadays, Everyone is aware of the concept of Peer pressure, which can affect anybody from any age group.
Peer pressure happens when one is eager to be accepted among his/her colleagues or social groups. To match up to this level, they often perform unsuitable things too. Being a social creature, every person wants to be well accepted in society. To satisfy the urge, people may perform unusual things that may ultimately lead to unprecedented consequences. Thus, psychologists often say that peer pressure is a heavily misunderstood topic. Go through this article to clarify misconceptions about peer pressure.
Myth: Peer pressure always leads to bad behavior.
Fact: Many people use peer pressure as an excuse for bad behavior. Negative peer influence can put a lot of pressure on you. But, your behavior should not be affected by this only.
Myth: Bullying is always normal.
Fact: Sometimes people consider that bullying in school and college and the peer pressure generated due to this. This is not a normal thing, and people might face depression due to regular bullying. Sometimes, teenagers involve themselves in rigorous bullying which may lead to serious peer pressure. You must be encouraging, supportive, and inspiring to your colleagues.
Myth: Peer pressure always has negative impacts.
Fact: No, peer pressure is not always very negative as portrayed by many. It has many positive sides too. Peer pressure can make you competitive and perform better professionally. Even among students, it has been observed that peer pressure brings the best performance from the students. If peer pressure is making a person extremely vulnerable, then it is not at all good. Of course, you need to learn how to influence others.
Myth: Teenagers can and should deal with peer pressure by themselves only.
Fact: The level of peer pressure and the mental strength of the person determine the need for external help. Many parents think that teenagers should be mature enough to handle peer pressure. But, someone must help the person to understand the difference between positive and negative peer pressure.
Myth: Peer pressure does not affect learning.
Fact: Some people think that peer pressure generally weans away and it never impacts the learning process. But, peer pressure can badly impact the learning process. Extreme peer pressure may surely change a student's attitude. It may also result in negative outcomes like a lack of interest in studying. If you see anybody going through extreme peer pressure, you must encourage and inspire them to overcome it positively. Under such a situation, friends and relatives play a crucial role fo helping the student.
Generally, influencing peers and being influenced by peers are inevitable in real life. It may help in developing a better society and workplace.
