Peer pressure is a problem that has plagued South African teens for generations. But today, the impact of peer pressure runs deeper because teens have access to social media and other potentially harmful things. This is why it’s so important for everyone to know the types of peer pressure in a bid to stay safe.
When parents and teachers know the types of peer pressure, they can provide the right guidance and support. And that is what teenagers truly need. Our website is packed full of information that will empower you to give teenagers the help they need.
What Is Peer Pressure?
Peer pressure is the pressure teenagers feel when their friends influence them to do things they normally wouldn’t do. It typically stems from a desire to fit in and be accepted. These are often the causes of peer pressure.
There are various types of peer pressures, with each one targeting your teens’ behavior. It can affect their mental health, academics, and even their lifestyle choices and decisions.
When teenagers experience peer pressure, they feel a crushing weight to do something or be someone who isn’t themselves. Knowing the types of peer pressure can help teenagers fight this unhealthy desire to conform. And it can help parents identify the effects of peer pressure on their teens.
What Are the Different Types of Peer Pressure?
There are two types of peer pressure: positive and negative peer pressure. When most South Africans hear the word peer pressure, they typically only see it in a negative light. But there can also be good peer pressure.
Let’s take a look at the two main types of peer pressure:
1. Positive Peer Pressure
Positive peer pressure influences teens to make good decisions. It’s the pressure they feel to make better lifestyle choices after seeing their friends do the same. Here are some positive peer pressure examples:
- Encouraging good academic performance: If your teen’s group of friends gets good grades, they might feel encouraged to study harder and get good grades too.
- Promoting healthy lifestyle choices: A group of students abstaining from substance abuse might influence others to do the same.
- Motivating participation in extracurricular activities: Teens might be positively influenced to join fun clubs and participate in other extracurricular activities.
2. Negative Peer Pressure
Negative peer pressure is the dark side of peer pressure. It is everything South African parents don’t want for their teenagers. While positive peer pressure influences teens to make healthy lifestyle choices, negative peer pressure influences them to make bad, risky, and even illegal choices.
Understanding the types of peer pressure is important because it helps teens make independent decisions. Teenagers who fail to resist peer pressure might end up on the wrong track in life. These are some negative peer pressure examples:
- Encouraging substance abuse: Teens might feel pressured to drink alcohol if they see their friends drinking it.
- Promoting reckless behavior: To make their peers see them as “cool”, some teenagers might skip classes or bully other students. This is even more common these days over the internet, cyberbullying.
- Pressuring into risky sexual behaviors: If a teen is influenced into having sexual relationships, there might be negative consequences.
Teenagers in South Africa feel a strong desire to fit in and be accepted by their peers. And this feeling is not unique to them. We all want to belong to a community.
Everyone longs to be accepted, but we must be mindful of where we seek that acceptance. That’s what makes the difference between positive and negative peer pressure. Knowing that difference will help teens befriend peers who have a positive impact on their behavior and lifestyle. In fact, peer pressure isn’t always harmful, when directed in the right way, it can encourage healthier choices and better habits. You can explore some of the positive effects of peer pressure here: 6 Positive Effects of Peer Pressure.
The Four Forms of Peer Pressure
Now that we’ve covered the two broad types of peer pressure, we’ll dive into the other four. They are: direct, indirect, spoken, or unspoken peer pressure. Positive and negative peer pressure can fall into any of these categories.
1. Direct Peer Pressure
Direct peer pressure is one of the most obvious types of peer pressure. It’s when teenagers are forced to do things they normally wouldn’t do. Direct peer pressure is dangerous because it often takes choice away from teenagers, leaving them with only one line of action—to conform.
Direct peer pressure can be spoken or unspoken. It can happen in subtle ways, like a teen receiving a lit cigarette from their friend while sitting in a group of smokers. To fit in, the teen might smoke a cigarette even if they’ve never done it before and don’t want to do it.
If you’d like to learn more about how peer pressure can lead to risky behaviors such as drug abuse, and how to protect young people from it, check out this helpful guide: Peer Pressure and Drug Abuse.
2. Indirect Peer Pressure
Indirect peer pressure is one of the more subtle types of peer pressure. Here, teenagers are not directly influenced; rather, they feel a slight nudge to follow social norms. It’s the pressure to do what they believe is expected of them or what might make them more popular.
It’s usually an unspoken pressure. Just a voice in their head that says, “Everyone is doing it. I should try it too.” For example, teens might feel pressured to dress a certain way after seeing other students following the trend.
3. Spoken Peer Pressure
With spoken peer pressure, there’s no room for doubt or confusion. It’s when teenagers verbally persuade their friends to do something. The teen in this situation will feel cornered by the direct statement and likely conform just to please their friend.
Here’s an example of unspoken peer pressure: Teenagers might be influenced into drinking alcohol after their friends tell them, “You should drink it. You don’t want to be the only one here who isn’t drinking.” Statements like that push teens to do things they might not have done.
4. Unspoken Peer Pressure
Unspoken peer pressure is one of the hardest types of peer pressure to recognize. It’s similar to indirect peer pressure because no words are used. It’s usually just a feeling of pressure that comes when teens observe their friends.
They feel influenced by silent expectations that have not even been said. This makes them do things they might not want to do. For example, a teenager who sees everyone at school using a particular app might feel left out and download the app. Understanding these subtle pressures is important because they can have long-term effects on behavior and decision-making. You can learn more about the negative impacts of peer pressure and how to deal with them here.
How Does Peer Pressure Affect Teenagers’ Mental Health?
While certain types of peer pressure can lead to positive behaviors, others harm your teens’ mental health. The psychological impact of peer pressure can present itself in many ways. Here are a few:
- Increased stress and anxiety
- Low self-esteem and self-doubt
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Poor academic performance
- Life dissatisfaction
Do you see these signs in your teenager already? Please call for help or visit this resource on the bad effects of peer pressure to learn more and find support.
10 Ways to Resist Peer Pressure
It’s important to educate young people about the various types of peer pressure and how to resist them. When we educate more South African teens, we create a society where young people confidently walk away from negative influences.
- Build self-confidence and assertiveness
- Choose your friends wisely
- Learn to say ”No” without feeling guilty
- Be firm with your boundaries
- Engage with positive peer groups
- Understand the consequences of poor choices
- Think before you act
- Remember why it’s important to say no
- Focus on activities you actually enjoy
- Walk away from people who might harm you
Want to go deeper? Read these 10 practical ways to resist peer pressure and stand up for yourself
If you’re already struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out and call for help.
Conclusion
Dealing with peer pressure can be a lot for teenagers to handle. More teens in South Africa are falling into the trap of negative peer pressure because they don’t have the tools they need to resist it. It’s our job as parents, aunts, uncles, teachers, and even strangers to do something.
We need to show them how to resist the negative types of peer pressure and embrace the positive ones. The more we educate them and ourselves, the better things will be.
For more resources on teens and mental health, visit our website. We cover important topics to help you understand and support your teenager.
