Peer Pressure at Discovery College
By: Jade Thomas
There are 2 types of peer pressure, positive and negative. Negative peer pressure is when your friends, peers, family etc pressure you into doing something you wouldn't normally do, whereas positive peer pressure is when your friends, peers, family etc help or encourage you to do something that is good for you.
Negative peer pressure:
- Peer pressure is when somebody pressures you into doing something you don't want to do
- Its when your friends, peers, family or even community (depending on the situation) influence your choices
- Persuading you into doing something (like drugs)
- Forcing you to do something
Positive peer pressure:
- Friends encouraging you to be better
- Helping you to become a better person by convincing you to do something that can improve the way you live or even your health
- Friends convincing you that the decisions you make are the right ones
- Peers pushing you to do something worth wild and fun
How can peer pressure affect you?
- It can affect your health
- It can affect you emotionally, mentally and physically
- It can affect the way you act and the way you looks at things
Example of positive peer pressure
Example of saying "NO" to negative peer pressure
Example of negative peer pressure
Peer Pressure
An example of peer pressure in the school and community:
In the book 'Stargirl' written by Jerry Spinelli, there are many examples of both negative and positive peer pressure. An example of negative peer pressure is when the students at Mica High School kept pressuring her to change because she was different. Later on in the book Stargirl says "Stargirl? What kind of a name is that? My name is Susan" (Spinelli, 2000, P.139). This quote shows that she gave into peer pressure and decided to completely change herself. Peer pressure is both a good and bad thing because it makes you do things you don't want to do but it also pushes you to be the best you, you can possibly be.
Why is peer pressure important in Discovery College and how is it relevant to the school community?
Peer pressure is important because everyday we experience a small or maybe even large amount of pressure (whether its peer pressure or not) from the things around us. If we do not know what peer pressure is and how it can affect us, we won't be aware of what is happening to our peers and won't be able to do something about it. It's relevant to Discovery College because some DC students may be influenced by peer pressure and may not be able to deal with it as somebody else would.
How can we deal with peer pressure?
- You can deal with peer pressure by first consulting a trust worthy friend or family member and talking about what is happening
- You can stand up for yourself and tell whoever is pressuring you "NO"
- You can try to avoid situations that deal with peer pressure in the first place
- You can find a way to relax and work off you problems or worries (exercising is a good start)