Peer pressure was one of the most common topics that came up during school PSHE classes. Teachers would tell the class that some rogue would corner us in a dingy bathroom and pressure us to do narcotics that seemed too scandalous to be named.
Coming to university three years ago, peer pressure was the last thing on my mind. I liked to drink, so I wasn’t worried about being forced to. I didn’t think that I would be pressured to do anything by others and, for the most part, I was right. When I tried (and failed) to do Dry January, my friends respected my wishes and commended me for doing it. What made me break was myself; going to the club without a single drop of alcohol was horrifying.
No-one has directly pressured me into doing anything. Peer pressure isn’t solely a force acting from without but also pressure that you put on yourself. Sometimes I smoke a cheeky cigarette, so I don’t look sad for not wanting to try things out, this depends both on external and internal pressure.
Arguably, a less commonly discussed form of peer pressure is trends – clothing, accessories, electronics – I remember in Year 9 that I desperately wanted an iPhone since I was the only person in my class who didn’t have one. When procrastinating at work I’ll look at jorts online and remind myself that, with the weather here, I’ll freeze.
We’re social creatures and go past hundreds of people on the way to lectures, seminars and tutorials. It’s possible that you’ll spot a common theme – skinny scarves, wool coats and Longchamp bags – and consider purchasing them. So called peer pressure isn’t scary men in alleys forcing you to take suspicious substances, it’s seeing others, being interested in what they have and eventually, being influenced by them to try out something new.
There’s a soft pressure to conform and some would argue that this is peer pressure. But to conform requires a decision internal to yourself. Wherever there are other people, there’ll always be some form of influence on you. It’s quite likely that you’ve bought a pair of jeans because you’ve seen that girl in your tutorial wearing similar ones and think ‘Huh, they look nice. Maybe I’ll get them’.
“Peer Pressure” by _Tony_B is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.