Coping with Peer Pressure

“Peer pressure,” I think is a concern for every parent.  Hoping that your child will not be easily led by others and go along with whatever they do.   The temptations will be alcohol, drugs, and many, many other things.  I want to be able to help my child stand up for what they know is right and not give into peer pressure.  I don’t know why our children give into peer pressure but this article gave me a good insight as to one of many reasons why…

Why do teenagers give in to peer pressure?

Teens, like adults, are influenced by their peer group. This is normal behavior and is modeled for them by the adults around them almost every minute of every day. We all conform to the social standards set by our peer groups and our teenagers see it.

That said, teens will tend to follow their peers in behaviors that are not considered appropriate or where they will leave their common sense behind. Part of the reason is the ‘newly found’ importance of friendships, as teens are just getting used to their friends having any say in what they do. Then there is the ‘everyone is doing it’ factor that can make a teen feel compelled to comply. Wrap that all up with the normal curiosity that often leads to the risk-taking behaviors of teenagers and you have a credible reason why teens give into peer pressure.

Here at Triumph Youth Services we help our students identify the negative influences in their life before they came to us. We help them learn how to first identify and then avoid that same type of peer group when they go back out into the world.

http://parentingteens.about.com/od/peerpressure/f/peer_pressure.htm