It can be fun to be with your friends and have a good time, but when they start doing risky decisions, it can make you uncomfortable and nervous. Pressure by others to do things you might not do on your own in order to be admired is known as peer pressure. People will do anything to fit in, including following in their friend’s actions, good or bad, in order to meet their expectations. However, different groups have different preferences and expectations which can lead to disagreements between them. Not all peer pressure is negative however. Peer pressure can be used positively to motivate somebody into doing something that is helpful for them self or others. Your peer group greatly influences your values in life which, in turn influences the decisions you make.
In the famous story Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, both Romeo and Juliet are born into friend groups whose morals they don’t follow. The Montague and the Capulet are different groups of people who have different expectations for their household which led to disputes between them. In one scene, Juliet is pressured by her mother and nurse in an attempt for her to marry Paris. Although Juliet turned down the offer to marry him, she was still pressured to do something that she would not do on her own in order to be admired by her mother. In Romeo and Juliet, not all peer pressure is negative. This is shown when Romeo (similar to Juliet) was pressured by his peers into being more social at the party. Romeo asked his friends if he could just hold the torch instead of socializing at the party but his friends insisted that he forget about his broken heart and try to have fun. The choices made by Romeo and Juliet’s peers greatly influenced their choices and values in life.
Nowadays, peer pressure is still a big factor in the lives of people of all ages. Teens everyday are peer pressured by their friends into dangerous choices that they wouldn’t normally do such as drugs, nicotine, and alcohol. Teens usually follow their friends actions in an attempt to “fit in” or to “be cool”. Different groups of teens have different expectations for it’s members, which can lead to disagreements between them. However, not all peer pressure is negative. Everyday, teens are peer pressured by others in an attempt to help them in something. Some examples of positive peer pressure includes pressuring someone into joining a sports team or helping them to work harder or finish something. The groups that teens are in influence their values in life and change their goals which changes the decisions that they make.
Grant rants 