Peer pressure also plays a significant role in shaping our self-esteem and mental health. Constant exposure to negative peer pressure can erode self-confidence and lead to anxiety or depression. On the flip side, positive peer pressure can boost self-esteem and promote mental well-being. The family unit serves as the first line of defense against the negative effects of peer pressure. Families can foster strong self-esteem and healthy coping mechanisms in their members, allowing them to navigate social situations more effectively.

How Can Parents Help Their Children Deal with Peer Pressure?

This is the force behind that nagging feeling that you need to wear the “right” clothes or listen to the “cool” music to fit in. It’s particularly potent during adolescence, when puberty psychology kicks into high gear and the need for peer acceptance is at its peak. Professional help can guide individuals in addressing their mental health challenges and building resilience against peer pressure. Certain groups are particularly susceptible to the effects of peer pressure, influencing their mental health in various ways.

• Spoken peer pressure is when a teenager asks, suggests, persuades or otherwise directs another to engage in a specific behavior.
• Jordan developed her clinical approach in various inpatient, hospital, outpatient, and private practice settings.
• We can also offer support to family members who are struggling with the issues that surround addiction.

Childhood and Adolescence

We categorize ourselves and others into various social groups (like “jocks,” “nerds,” or “hipsters”) and derive our self-esteem from our group memberships. This desire to maintain a positive social identity can make us susceptible to peer pressure from our in-group. Now that we’ve identified the types of peer pressure, let’s delve into the psychological mechanisms that make it so powerful. It’s like peeling an onion – there are layers upon layers of fascinating theories and concepts at work. Engaging with these support systems can help individuals feel less isolated and more empowered to deal with peer pressure effectively. One of the most important factors in preventing situations where peer pressure might grow is to promote a culture of diversity and inclusivity.

DANNY SAN FILIPPO – Clinical Director

She knows that when both of those are realized, they can accomplish each client’s unique goals together. She specializes in mood and personality disorders as they relate to addiction and is passionate about healing trauma by way of brainspotting and other trauma therapy methods. If she won the lottery tomorrow, Chanel said she start a bookstore with a bakery inside for guests to enjoy their favorite books with an excellent coffee and dessert.

She spends most weekends in the mountains hiking, fishing, 4-wheeling, and camping. If she won the lottery tomorrow, Jill would create a pet sanctuary where the community would unite. Rising above peer pressure means not giving in to the pull of others to act in a certain way. No matter your age, you can practice not giving in to negative peer pressure and work on surrounding yourself with more positive influences.

Unspoken Peer Pressure

Unspoken Peer Pressure — when you’re exposed to the actions of your peers and choose to follow along. Drinking alcohol to conform to belong to a group is an example of unspoken peer pressure. Being aware of, and carefully choosing the influence of peers that will lead to healthy and happy experiences is a lifelong process.

• What starts out as positive peer pressure may become negative pressure if it leads a person to over-identify with sports, for example, putting exercise and competition above all else.
• Asking a teenager to engage in behavior that goes against his or her moral code or family values is a type of negative pressure.
• Studies of social networks examine connections between members of social groups, including their use of social media, to better understand mechanisms such as information sharing and peer sanctioning.
• We hear much more about direct peer pressure, as it is easier to detect and recognize as problematic.
• Of note, substance use was also predicted by peer pressure susceptibility such that greater susceptibility was predictive of greater alcohol and drug use.

2. Adolescence

Indirect peer pressure is similar to unspoken pressure in that it is subtle and not explicitly stated but can still strongly influence an impressionable young individual. For instance, when a teen overhears their friend gossiping about another person and then reacts to the gossip, that is considered indirect peer pressure. Another example would be if a student learns that popular kids have alcohol and drugs at their parties. The indirect pressure may prompt them to experiment with alcohol and drugs as well to gain acceptance from the “in” group.

At first, our parents played the most important role in helping us make decisions. However, the opinions of peers have a more significant weight during our teen years, influencing how we choose what to do which of the following is a type of indirect peer pressure? or what not to do. Types of peer pressure can greatly affect how we decide on all sorts of things, from what to wear, who to date, and even what to eat, drink, or smoke. This can affect anyone at any given age, but it takes a tool mostly in adolescents because as they try to develop friendships and fit in, they end up falling prey to social pressure. To seek social acceptance they end up imitating behaviors of the same social group, i.e wearing the same clothes as their friends, listening to the same music, and watching the same tv shows. Hailing from Boulder County, Courtney embarked on her academic journey by earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology.