Adolescence or teenage as we call it is a turbulent age in the process of adulting. As this is the formative age where the child slowly metamorphoses into an adult; it demands for a certain degree of pressure on the child. He is supposed to stand out and for that he is supposed to give in to this pressure and work hard. Talking of this pressure, it is of two types – intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic pressure comes from the fact that parents expect too much out of their children. Everyone wants their child to top the class, win that debate or come first in that race. They simply want their children to be the best in everything without realising the invisible pressure they’re putting on the poor child to make their parents proud. And the intrinsic pressure comes from the subconscious of the child. He fears being left behind in this race of life and he fears being labelled as looser and he fears not having friends and being lonely. And in the pressure of being seen and not being neglected, teenagers overwork themselves.
I guess it is this pressure to be popular among his peers is what influences the children more. In the present scenario, when children spend entire days at school and parents at office; there’s a lot of communication gap between them. The tender mind of teenagers often seeks validation outside and when they don’t find it in the conversations with their parents they tend to their peers. They believe to have found it in the approval from their peers. They are so connected to their peers after eating, playing, studying and honing their skills together that they rely on them to give them advice, to solve their problems and to hear them out. This connection, the generation gap and communication gap that they have with their parents fuels the excessive influence of peers on children. This is called peer pressure.
Peer pressure is not always negative. It could become positive if we channelize this pressure in the right direction and could bring about a certain positive change in the teenager’s life. I firmly believe in the saying, ” A man is only as good as the company he keeps.” I believe your company can shape you or destroy you. They can motivate you and help you reach greater heights or pull your confidence down creating hindrance in your growth. They can bring success to your steps or put you in a nasty situation.
Therefore it is necessary for a teenager to not get influenced by the people around them. They should analyze the outcome of the deed in a strict manner. So that they may not commit anything harmful for themselves. Furthermore, peer pressure should always be secondary. Your own thoughts and wants should always have the first priority. As this world is full of bad people, so you need to be careful before trusting anybody.
Last modified: May 3, 2020
