Negative Effects of Peer Pressure on TeenagersDuring adolescence, peers play a large part in a young person's life and typically replace family as the center of a teen's social and leisure activities. Teenagers have various peer relationships, and they interact with many peer groups. Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked, to fit in, or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don't go along with the group. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing. The idea that "everyone's doing it" may influence some kids to leave their better judgment, or their common sense, behind.As children grow, develop, and move into early adolescence, involvement with one's peers and the attraction of peer identification increases. As pre-adolescents begin rapid physical, emotional and social changes, they begin to question adult standards and the need for parental guidance. They find it reassuring to turn for advice to friends who understand and sympathize friends who are in the same position themselves. By trying new things and testing their ideas with their peers, there is less fear of being ridiculed or "shot down"A person's friends may dress a certain way, comb their hair in a particular style, and have certain ideas about music and movies. Some teenagers may not share these opinions or adopt these fashions, but they may feel that they should. They may be feeling "peer pressure" and may think that to "fit in" they would have to adopt similar values, beliefs, and goals or participate in the same activities as their friends. Peer pressure can affect people of all ages. A 4-year-old who begs for a toy because her friends all have it is experiencing peer pressure. An adult who buys a luxury car because others in the neighborhood have luxury cars is responding to peer pressure.Peer pressure, in itself, is neither good nor bad. It can encourage a person to study hard and get good grades or to skip school, get drunk or smoke cigarettes. Peer pressure plays a particularly large role in the lives of teenagers.In adolescence young people begin to break away from their families and try out different roles and situations to figure out who they are and where they fit into the world. They spend more time with their friends and less time with their families. This is a normal, healthy stage of development, but the growing distance between parents and their children and the increasing importance of friends can be a source of conflict and anger within the family. The desire to feel accepted and to fit in is one of the strongest forces in adolescence. It can lead teens to do things that they know are wrong, dangerous, or risky. A guy would want to have pre-marital sex just because amongst his group of friends he is the only one that hasnt done it and his peers occasionally tease him about that, they also make him see that there is nothing wrong about it, in-fact thats what makes them cool and smooth and even if he was brought up rightly by his parents he will consciously or un-consciously be overwhelmed by the teasing, conviction and persuasion of his peers and would want to do it to stop the teasing and earn respect amongst his guys. The same goes for other vices like cultism, smoking, drinking, etc.

For ladies, perhaps one of the easiest, and the most expensive ways of making friends in the University, is to get your parents to buy you clothes from the name brand stores. Other students in your class will respect you if you come to class wearing some of the clothes that are named for some of the more important designers available. University is a time when a person is usually ready and prepared to find oneself. It is a time when the teenager becomes an older person, a young adult. It is also a very difficult time for most young adults, as peer pressure is all around the school. Who gets the best friends is usually determined not by the personality, but by the clothes that are worn, the purses that are carried, and the type of money that can be exposed. It's all about peer pressure. And for the other lady from an average home that finds herself in the clique of this type of classy girls, she will want to do everything to keep up with the trend, class and style her other friends from wealthy homes are putting up to and in the process of trying to meet up with them she will be exposed to either having a shuga daddy to get her all she needs or sleep around with men for money. Other vices like smoking, drinking and drug abuse and even lesbianism could also set in as a result of being friends with those kind of girls.

In conclusion, peer pressure, no matter what form it is in, truly is a crucible. It will be in every situation that involves people. Were all human, and are less than perfect. However, we do have the power to say no, when yes seems to be the more popular answer. It doesnt get easier the more you say it, but you soon learn that the benefits of sticking by your beliefs and standards are much better than the penalty. The main reason we give in to peer pressure is because of our need for companionship, our need to be accepted. This is human nature, there is nothing we can do about it; but what we can do is help those who are so caught up on this companionship that they are willing to sacrifice who they are just to receive it. Peer pressure will cause some teenagers to do things that they probably would not do at home. This is sometimes a normal situation, but it can certainly get out of hand. There is no escaping peer pressure, but the well-rounded individual will generally survive this period of life unscathed while the person who is not so rounded might not.