No matter what college you decide to attend, despite its academic ranking, location or how much it costs, peer pressure exists.
It exists everywhere -- in class when someone is trying to convince you to let them cheat off of you because they’re your friend, in the cafeteria when your peer is trying to persuade you to steal steal food without paying for it, in your groups of friends when someone suddenly takes out some form of drugs and passes it around. It exists at parties when people try to convince you to drink more than you know you should. Peer pressure is everywhere. You can’t avoid the confrontation.
It’s easy to say and remember the phrase, “don’t give into peer pressure,” but it’s not so easy to do. Here are some tips on how to resist giving in to peer pressure.
Make an excuse. If you are caught in a situation where you still want to be friends with the people who want to make you do something that you’re uncomfortable with, just pretend that there is no feasible way for you to do it. If they want you to drink, say you just got your wisdom teeth out and you can’t do it tonight. If they want you to let them cheat off of you, tell them you’ve already been caught twice by the teacher in cheating-involved-incidents and a third time would get you sent to the dean. Regardless of the activity, there is always a made-up excuse waiting to be used, so that you and your inconsiderate friends can remain great pals.
Leave.
“Oh my god! I can’t smoke right now because I just remembered my grandma is coming to visit in an hour. Sorry guys, but maybe another time.” Leaving the premise of the unwanted situation will allow your buddies to carelessly carry on without you, and for you and your grandma to accompany one another drug-free. It’s win-win for both parties.
Call them out.
“Hey, you guys, I’m not really down to steal this plasma TV because I’ve noticed security cameras throughout the location, and being charged with robbery would kick me out of school and crush my dreams of finding a cure for the common cold.” Then your super awesome friends will call you names, like loser and nerd. Then you will not help them with stealing the TV and they will get caught. Then they will watch you on T.V. win the Nobel Prize during their recreation time in jail.
When you think about it, we were all taught to never give into peer pressure. We were told that the things our peers would pressure us
into doing, were wrong in some form or another. However, were we ever taught not to put peer pressure on others? I
can remember countless times I was told not to give in to peer pressure, but I
can’t remember once being told not to put pressure on my peers. We were never taught the
importance of respecting the boundaries of others. Here are some ways to not
put peer pressure on people.
Be a real friend. If you’re the type of person who forces people to do something they’re unsure about, chances are that you’re not a true friend. True friends don’t make people do something that could, quite possibly, scar them for life.
Consider the consequences. If you’re
pressuring someone to drink when they never have before, you should also be the
one to watch them throughout the night to make sure they don’t die. If they do
not know how to handle alcohol, alcohol poisoning is a very plausible outcome that is now mixed into your night. Don’t pressure them because you don’t want
to deal with people freaking out, ambulances, their parents suing you, having
to go to a funeral and being charged with murder.
Think about why you’re doing it: Pressuring your peer shows more about you than it does
about them. Making someone do something they consider wrong doesn’t make them
look weak, it makes you look like an absolute jerk. Consider why you feel the
need to force someone to be uncomfortable. Were you the victim of peer pressure earlier on
in your life? Are you self-conscious? Do you feel the need to make others look like cowards in order to build up your self-esteem? Whatever issue you may be
dealing with, fix it so that others don’t have to deal with it for you.
Peer pressure is a serious problem. You shouldn’t give into peer pressure, but you also should not pressure your peers. Allow people to be their own selves and the world will work how it is supposed to. Not everyone is alike; everyone has his or her own morals and boundaries. If you respect that, then people will respect you.
