The person may then feel pressured to accept the cigarette to gain acceptance from the peer group. Rather than worrying about the effects of their children’s friendships, parents would do well to focus on creating a positive, supportive home environment. That way, even if your child is peer pressured to do something they don’t want to do, they’ll feel comfortable coming to you to talk about it first. In the case of teens, parents are rarely concerned about the peer pressure their kids may face to engage in sports or exercise, as these are typically seen as healthy social behaviors. This is OK, as long as the exercise or sport does not become an unhealthy way of coping, excessive to the point of negatively affecting their health, or dangerous (as in dangerous sports). If you know encouragement from your partner, friend or colleague tends to be your weak spot, try talking to them before the situation arises again.
Getting Support from Others
- Resisting peer pressure can involve avoiding it, saying no, and surrounding yourself with more positive influences.
- For example, research has shown that teens with friends who volunteer are more likely to volunteer themselves.
- Most importantly, true friendships arising from mutual care make you feel free as compared to those conditioned on some rules at the time of how to tackle peer pressure.
- Indirect peer pressure is the least invasive of the lot and can be either spoken or unspoken.
- I liked my friends and I enjoyed socialising, but I often felt like I was still missing out.
For example, it might encourage your child to participate in the school talent show or science fair. It can be easy to get lost in a world where we are trying to keep up with everyone around us – take it from someone who knows. To be honest, peer pressure is not something we can simply escape from. In reality, it is something we learn to manage rather than avoid. If you can learn just a few small but effective ways to handle peer pressure then you will be in a much better place to deal with those tricky situations that life might throw at you.
Method 3: Getting Support from Others
However, doing so would violate your principles and possibly corrupt your future. Fortunately, peer pressure can be resisted with some effort by building your self-esteem and confidence, learning how to say no, and surrounding yourself with more accommodating people. Observe and take note of naturally occurring chances to talk about the topic. For example, when you come across a relevant news article related to peer pressure, or when instances of it are depicted on social media.
Drugs and alcohol
If there are certain occasions where you might be talked into a drink when you don’t want to, try and plan ahead for those moments. If it’s a social occasion where you know you’ll be drinking, it can be worth setting yourself a limit before how to deal with peer pressure you go. You may want to use a unit and calorie calculator to work out how many drinks to have ahead of time, to keep you within a safe limit for the week. If another child is pushing your child toward something better, that is a good thing.
What are some positive examples?
- If it’s because all of your friends are doing it and you’re afraid they won’t talk to you if you don’t join them, then you may want to reconsider.
- By Michelle PugleMichelle Pugle, MA is a freelance writer and reporter focusing on mental health and chronic conditions.
- It may also be a threat, such as, “You can’t hang out with us if you’re not going to drink.”
- While peer pressure is most frequently used to describe the influence of friends on teenagers, all people can be subject to peer pressure.
- The person may then feel pressured to accept the cigarette to gain acceptance from the peer group.
Developing Healthy Strategies
How parents can help tweens with friend issues
