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Peer Pressure During Adolescence

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Peer Pressure during adolescence
Tyrone Taiwo
PSYC4020 6.00D Seminar in Social Psychology
April 6, 2011
Noreen Stuckless

Peer Pressure during Adolescence This paper will discuss aspects of peer pressure during adolescence. Peer pressure is defined as the social influence that others have on an individual, in this case adolescents. The pressure is applied in order to get an individual to believe or act in a certain way. The form of peer pressure is acted out by ones peer group against other peers and as a result it leads to a change of behavior. According to Erik Erikson (1973) theory of social development, the adolescent stage is categorized as the transition from childhood to adulthood. The term teenagers can also be used to …show more content…

In other groups, there lies a person whose personality dominates over others and his or her influence is used to lead the other group members into trouble. In addition, there are teens that are not popular but are categorized as a group. They are usually known by stereotypical labels such as punks, geeks, losers, bums, etc (Kaplan, 1987). Teens may be submitting to different sets of pressures when they portray the popular trend (Kaplan, 1987). While adolescents are in the process of trying to belong to a group, many fail to see the consequences of giving in to peer pressure (Boonstra, 2010). The negative effects of peer pressure not only wear down one’s identity but it is the main reason for some of the incorrect choices made in an individual’s life (Allen et al, 2005). Many adolescents are unaware of the bad habits they are getting themselves into and the severity of some choices made as a result of peer pressure (Allen et al, 2005). Peer pressure remains to be a serious issue, which can obstruct the growth and normal development of an adolescent and is not something that should be easily dismissed as a temporary stage in life. There are always students forming groups in schools. As long as there is one “cool group” at school peer pressure is inevitable to occur (James, 2011). A “cool group” could be seen as a group of individuals or teens who all the things that they are not supposed to do (James, 2011).

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