Good and Bad Peer Pressure

By: Nia Denise G. Pangue

            Peer pressure is when "friends" persuade you to doing something that you do not want to do. But maybe you want to do it, and you just don't have the courage to do it and your friends talk to you into it. Peer Pressure can be good or bad.

            Bad peer pressure is being forced into doing something that you didn't want to do because your friends said that you should. Friends have a tendency to think that they know what is best for you, and if your friends are like some of ours, they always offer their opinion whether it is wanted or not good, if friends are going to tell you what to do. Most of time, the basic thing that you can do is to say "No, I don't like to do that!" or if you want to do it, you say "Yes, let me try!”

           

            One of the major problems with peer pressure occurs when you try something that you really don't want to do and later on become addicted to it. Common situations on this are trying illegal drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes and more times than not, these behaviors can become habit forming. 

If and when someone comes up and offers you one of these substances, it is your decision whether you want to try or continue to use these substances. You should be prepared to make these decisions and to make a good decision you must be educated on that topic. For instance, say you were going to buy a stereo. You wouldn't just go out and pick the one that looked nice. You might do some research in a few magazines, ask a few friends what they thought, go to the store and listen to each stereo through multiple speakers and finally make an educated decision. Before getting in to a specific situation, you should take the time to read about each one and the possible drawbacks before you decide to try or not to try anything. It is better that one finds out what will happen, how it will happen, and get whatever information that you need to make an educated decision. 

           
Good peer pressure, on the other hand, is being
pushed into something that you don't have the courage to do or just don't cross
your mind to do.  However, as you think
about it, it seems like a good thing to do. Good peer pressure can also be a
situation when your friends convince you not to do something you were going to
do because it wasn't in your best interest. Some people say that good peer
pressure is when you get pushed into something that you didn't want to do and
it turned out well.  Well, this may be nice,
but you can’t tell ahead of time whether what you are doing will turn out good
or bad. Most people can't, but if you can, your problems may be solved! When
the time comes for you to make these big decisions, it is important to think
before deciding.  Take as long as you
need just to think about whether you want to do it, think about whether you
should, and finally think about the consequences.  These are the important things that must be
done before any big decision is made. 
Also, knowing who is asking you to do something helps you make the
decision.  If the person is not your
friend, you should really consider what they want you to do, but if you know,
trust and respect this person then you might seriously consider what they ask.

            

            Knowing who to listen to and who to avoid is the biggest step in fighting unwanted, negative peer pressure. Remember, it's your life and your responsibility for determining what you make of it!