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Peer Pressure

Peers can be defined as individuals who share almost the same age, interests, and social background. It is normal for teenagers to interact with their peers at school, in their neighborhood or in whatever surroundings that they like associating from. Everywhere around the globe, it is accepted that peers have a very strong influence on each other whenever they spend time together. In other words, since most of them spend their time discussing issues of interests such as some of the most trending topics and technologies, some of the aspects of a culture that is popular in the form of fashion, lifestyle, music and movies, it is possible that through these interactions, some of them may be influenced to a greater extend.

For adolescents, peers groups acts as a source of sympathy, affection and understanding since it is through their peers that most of them are able to experiment on some issues .It is for this reason that peer relations forms an important element of the identity development among the adolescents and teenagers at large. As an adolescent, I believe that it is through the peers that we are able to be exposed to different values, beliefs, and norms both within and outside the group.

I believe that some of the things I have been doing are as a result of peer relations and friendship. In simple terms, I have been a victim of following the crowd inn some of the things that I have been doing. Peer group also possess different norms and values and as a result, if a person affiliates with a certain group of friends, it basically implies that they will have to put up with the norms and values of that particular group. Additionally, since most of the teenagers and adolescents wants to have a sense of belonging, it is acknowledged that most of them are under the pressure to accept the values of their friends. Peer influence can at times be very strong making it more challenging to resist. For instance, I have a friend who likes hanging out in clubs immediately after classes. At times, I am always tempted to follow him clubbing because of some of the stories that He always tells me. This example clearly indicates the influence that peer pressure has on some of the choices that the teenagers and adolescents make. In other words, to them, everyone makes the same decision either it is a wrong decision or the correct decision. As a result, the most peer influence that most teenagers encounter is the pressure to conform.

As much as there are a number of things that most adolescents and teenagers are pressurized to conform to, there are some common values and norms that are some common among peers. Some of the values and norms that I was tempted to do because of the peer influence include the following; using drugs and drinking, premarital sex, social activeness, grooming and dressing properly among other things. I must admit that I have happened to give in to peer pressure because I wanted my friends to like me and believe that I am with them, to fit in so that other friends would not think that I am not fun loving. It is important for parents to be aware of the pressure that the peers have on their children since to most adolescents, being right or wrong is determined by whether an individual has been accepted by their friends or not. To be honest, as much as I do not regret succumbing to Peer pressure because I take it as a learning curve, I believe that if I am given another chance, I would do things properly and not follow friend’s decision blindly.

As a Christian, the issue of peer pressure also causes an ethical challenge. It is normal for all teenagers and adolescents to want to belong to a certain group and be accepted. However, if the peer pressure is negative, then it is possible that people may indulge into destructive effect hence leading to a behavior that can be non-Christians. Additionally, because of the fact that peer pressure may influence the way of dressing, the type of music, appearance and the brand, I have at times ignored my Christian values and listened to some music that are secular just because of the pressure to conform to my friends. I have also seen some of my other male teenagers and adolescents deriving pleasure depending on the number of ladies they date since they believe it makes them popular and famous. Moreover, it is also proven that people acting in groups may end up doing things in a different manner relative if they would have been alone.

When an individual reaches the adolescence stage, it is accepted that most of them start undergoing hormonal and physical changes coupled with social changes as well. In this case, the changes in hormones result into drives and emotional feelings that most of them have never experienced before. For instance, it is during the adolescent stage that I started feeling attracted by members of the opposite sex. As a result, the relationship that once existed between friendships and family members also incur changes at this point, people are known to develop more feelings but understand less and most of them experience different thoughts from what they used to think before. At this point, because of the peer influence, most of them start questioning the need for adult guidance and the standards of adults around them, hence making the need for constructive counseling and parental guidance.