Online International Interdisciplinary Research Journal. It’s possible that a friend who is peer pressuring you simply wants to spend more time with you or connect with you, but they don’t know how else to ask. Saying “no” can be hard, but it’s necessary to set healthy boundaries in relationships. If someone persistently pressures you to do something, you can try telling them how it affects you. Instead of quickly agreeing to do something you’d rather not do, pause and take a few deep breaths. If someone is waiting for you to answer them, tell them you need to take a few days and think about it. It’s easier to resist the pressure when you put some time and space between yourself and the situation.

In these cases, the peer culture may be very strong and violating that culture may have serious social consequences—such as censure or bullying. Even an otherwise strong, developmentally healthy teen may cave when faced with this type of strong external pressure. This form of peer pressure does involve victimization and can be confusing, scary and even traumatizing for your child. Just as in-person interactions can be both positive and negative, communication through social media can also have a positive or negative effect.

Teach Teens Coping Strategies

Sometimes, that person might have gone through similar situations. In this case, he/she can guide you properly to overcome peer pressure. Sagari was a math graduate and studied counseling how to deal with peer pressure psychology in postgraduate college, which she used to understand people better. Her interest in reading about people made her take up articles on kids and their behavior.

Peer pressure can be tough to deal with, especially when you are a teenager or in your college years. The desire to fit in and feel like you are part of a group is completely normal, and most people feel this way their entire lives.

What strategies can help handle negative peer pressure?

However, there is still a standard set by the group to behave in a certain way. Extern is the leading social justice charity operating across the island of Ireland. We are also the leading provider of placements for social work students in the voluntary sector. These can influence the way we engage with people in our lives.

  • Our tweens and teens are listening to us, even if it may not always seem like it.
  • Most kids have a strong desire to fit in and are especially sensitive to being picked on, made fun of, or ostracized.
  • In turn, your friend might reconsider criticizing people based on their appearance.
  • That even-handedness will encourage them towards making positive choices if faced with a similar peer situation in the future.

Helping a teen understand and see for themselves why saying “No” to drugs or alcohol is in their best interest will empower them to say “No” when faced with peer pressure. Role modeling good emotional self-regulation may also help your child stick to their own values when it comes to peer pressure. Self-regulation involves the ability to control thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in order to manage current behavior and achieve long-term goals. As the name suggests, spoken peer pressure is when someone verbally influences another person to do something. For instance, a teenager might influence their friend to smoke a cigarette by saying, “Come on, one cigarette won’t hurt.” Though peer pressure is not usually used to describe socially desirable behaviors, such as exercising or studying, peer pressure can have positive effects in some cases.