The High Life

At the end of my first grade year, I moved away from the small, rural town near Vienna where I had lived since I was born. On my first day of school at Lincoln Elementary, I quickly made friends with two girls in my class named Pam and Kelly. Pam and Kelly introduced me to their group of friends that were all in our second grade class. For the rest of the school year, this group of friends was who I played on the playground with everyday and talked to in the classroom. After a great first year of school in Marion, the time came for my third grade year. Every year at Lincoln, there is a day that is close to the beginning of the school year where the students can come to the school to meet their new teacher and look at the class list to see which of their friends is in their class. On that morning, I went to Lincoln to find out who my new teacher was. To my dismay, I found out that all of my friends from second grade had a different teacher than I did. After finding out that I was not in class with any of my friends, I knew that I would have to find a new friend to talk to in my third grade class in addition to having all of my friends from second grade. At the beginning of my third grade year, I hung out with two friends I met named Phyllis and Erin. As the year progressed, I started to hang out with Angela who would soon become one of my best

Peer pressure can take place whenever people gather and spend frequent time together. Most people are subject to its effects and often experience it because of shared experiences or they share the same perspective on life. This becomes dangerous when a group has enough influence to dictate an individual’s way of thinking or behavior. When an individual is desperate to find a place to belong, they will follow the crowd even if they know that they are participating in something immoral; this is demonstrated in “We Real Cool.”

In high school, social hierarchy is typically determined by perceived popularity. Adolescents experience many emotional, biological and cognitive changes during this time. Teenagers struggle with their identity as social acceptance becomes an increasingly important factor in their lives. Cliques are formed in high school as a representation of a small group of people with common interests. Cliques are joined mostly by girls because it gives them a sense of security and confidence they may otherwise lack, but boys are known to join cliques as well. Cliques provide adolescents with a strong sense of self worth and can in fact help one grow as an individual, sharing common interests and values. Adolescents who appear with high social power tend to have similar qualities and group together. Those who are less popular tend to isolate themselves more while befriending others with a similarly low social status. Often times, those who are socially dominant are generally “more influential, daring, physically attractive and socially appropriate.” (Closson 3) Cliques can foster community in a group of close-knit individuals. Different types of cliques provide adolescents with an opportunity to group together with those with similar interests. They allow teenagers to satisfy their psychological needs such as gaining a sense of belongingness and security. Although there are positive aspects of cliques, there is a correlation

Hannah Gray is an unpopular sixteen-year-old girl who absolutely loves going to school; she attends Central High, a large urban school in the middle a fast-paced city. As Hannah walks out of class, a group of popular students approach her, staring her up and down with crooked smiles. They tell Hannah that they’re going to skip the next class so they can sneak off behind the high school to smoke. One of the popular girls tells Hannah that she would be cool and fit in better if she snuck off with them. Hannah doesn’t want to break the rules at school, but she really wants to be accepted by the other students. She eventually politely declines their offer knowing that she could get in trouble if she were to leave with them and get caught. The situation that Hannah is in is a prime example of peer pressure; they tell her that she would fit in better if she snuck off with them. She was smart and made the right decision by saying no to them and going to her next class; however, many people can’t or won’t resist this pressure. What most people don’t realize is that others feel peer pressure more intensely from their close friends because they value their opinions more and don’t want to lose them as a friend. Peer pressure, which can be both good and bad, affects most people at one time or another and has a variety of either positive or negative effects.

I attend Pattonville High School, which is a public school that has many different norms for many different types of people. One norm is that all the kids with good grades will rush to class, for no reason, they just do it. A different norm is that all the people that have girlfriends always walk them to class, even if they get a tardy, you never let them walk alone. A different norm involves the surroundings of the school. There is a Seven-Eleven less than half a mile away from the school, and whenever you have a game, or meet you walk up their buy food, or if you didn’t bring any money you go up and try to smooch off of people. Another norm is that during your sports’ season you sit with everyone on your team, even if its only you as a freshmen

Peer pressure can take place whenever people gather together and spend frequent time together. Most people are subject to its effects and often experience it because, of shared experiences or they share the same perspective on life. This becomes dangerous when a group has enough influence to dictate an individual’s way of thinking or behavior. When an individual is desperate to find a place to belong, they will follow the crowd even if they know that they are participating in something immoral; this is demonstrated in “We Real Cool.”

Often times society is worried about the type of drugs that are present around their community (Karen,Foster, 2013). Not only for their wellbeing, but for their close friends and families also (Karen,Foster, 2013). Although on the other hand, families are also preoccupied with what type of pharmaceutical drugs they should be purchasing for themselves and their loved ones, to deal with certain physical and mental pains, which they so desperately need, to endure a joyful life (King,2014). In this paper i will prove that drugs are used by different types of people to fill a gap in their life , to heal a physical and mental pain, to keep up with todays lifestyle’s and to feel a sense of masculinity and power.

As a recent high school student, I alone face a diverse of challenges throughout the day, week, month, dealing with other schoolmates, teachers, sports, classwork, homework, bullying, additionally peer pressure. You are judged, head to toe; starting from how you wear you hair, what you wear period, and who you even call your friends or associate with and sports. You endeavor to be the best everyone needs you to be, yet you either fall brief of their expectations or do not even reach the bottom line of standards. You are expected to be like everyone else, you are expected to be someone you are not. Even religion is forced upon some. If you do not do what someone needs you to do, you are deemed down upon and shamed for it. If you generate a mistake

Young people are facing more pressure to fit in socially and is causing their self-identity to diminish. In particular, adolescents are adopting new personas, so they can fit into what is so-called culturally acceptable in modern-day society due to third-party influences. One obvious negative concern is that lacking qualities in parent-adolescent relationships can cause narcissism. Additionally, conformity has caused individuals to follow the actions of others even if the situations are damaging to avoid criticism. In conjunction, peer pressure causes people to act or behave a certain way, even if they believe it is morally wrong in an effort to fit

The desire to fit in with peers can be a very strong influence on teens.

The bright sunlight from outside bathed my bedroom. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. Reaching over to the nightstand beside my bed, I grabbed my black framed glasses. Every morning it's been the same, waking up, eating breakfast, watching television, work on drawings, and repeat. Today, it's different. I have school today. No, I'm not going to go on about how much I hate school, because I don't. I find school extremely interesting, to be honest. Learning about space, art and talk to friends in eight hours? Sounds perfect. One problem, the only friend I have is my neighbour, Ray Toro. A sweetheart, I tell you. He told me he would let me meet his friend at school, so I never saw them over the summer.

Temptation is also rabid in most high school settings. Sex, illegal drugs, alcohol, cheating, and tobacco are all temptations students are faced with on a daily basis. Teenagers must each make personal decisions to either refrain from immoral conduct or succumb to the temptations of peer pressure, usually with the hopes of being accepted. The temptations of potentially destructive decisions are immense. It takes a strong-willed individual to stand up against the majority and hold true to his values. Not bowing to temptation is a difficult task for any person, but especially for a high school student who is more worried about his own popularity and appearance and has yet to grow his moral fibers. The temptations that the youth of our modern culture experience are very appealing, but their consequences are more damaging than ever before.

Peer pressure in society today has a negative effect on teens and schools should implement programs to help teens battle with peer pressure. Nowadays Peer pressure is a major problem in the lives of teens. These problems not only occur in school, but also outside of schools. If schools decide to implement programs teaching teenagers how to successfully battle peer pressure, a lot of decision-making for teens would be different. Not only in educational programs but in their everyday lives as well.

As adolescents growing up in such turbulent times, it is often difficult for persons of my young age to make decisions that are both rational and moral. I have watched a countless number of my peers make decisions that they understood to be immoral. Whether or not they were simply trying to "fit in" or avoid peer pressure, I cannot say. I can only say that I observed this with sadness. For I only wish that my friends could have the strength to believe in their morals, values and reason that are the roots of their very existence and not have to resort to acting out of their desire to be accepted.

Peer pressure these days has had major effects on our children and young adults. Decisions are being made that are unheard of to parents and teachers. Don’t think that the adolescence making these choices isn’t struggling to grasp hold of the concepts of what they are doing. Unknowingly, our generation is making choices that will effect the rest of their lives. Whether or not it’s the way we dress or a decision in unprotected sex, it’s still a decision made based on the approval of our peers. Who are we now a days. If we are just living to be who are friends want us to be, we lose individualism. Peer pressure has effected, the music listened to, and the clothes wore, sexual activity, drugs, skipping school, reckless driving and many other