My Essay Point

Negative and positive effects of peer pressure

Before understanding the effects of peer pressure, it is important to understand the term in detail. It is considered as a situation wherein people get influenced by the thought process or the way of life of their peers. Peer pressure can exert a positive effect or it may also have a negative effect on the personality of the individual. In the materialistic world of today, happiness is quantified in terms of wealth and expensive items a person can buy. Unhealthy comparisons are carried out creating peer pressure among the people.

Negative effects:

Herd mentality: You may not like a certain idea or the professional field but forced to join the rat race because peers are also treading the same path. It is an extremely dangerous trend that can ruin the career of a person and rob him or her of independent thinking. The probability of failure is extremely high because the person cannot put the heart and soul in the work.

Artificial lifestyle: People trying to emulate the lifestyle of others due to peer pressure are forced to do things that they hate. For instance partying during the weekend or visiting five-star hotels when the budget doesn’t allow can create unpleasant situations. Teenagers are vulnerable to peer pressure as they resort to smoking and drinking because it is termed fashionable. Ensuing lifestyle can have a debilitating effect on the person ruining both professional as well as personal life.

Loss of rational thinking: People influenced by peer pressure cannot think rationally because they try to imitate others. All their efforts and resources are wasted in meeting the futile objectives. Some celebrities have fans that blindly follow them and go to any extent in order to look like them. The craziness might even lead to loss of health and life in the moment of sheer madness.

Positive effects:

Self-introspection: Peer pressure can have a positive effect on the individuals. They can learn from the frugal habits of others and incorporate them into their lifestyle. In addition, you can also have positive thought process by seeing how other are coping with the challenges of life.

Exposure: The man is a social animal; therefore, peer pressure is bound to affect the person in one way or the other. It allows people to get exposed to new ideas and technology prevalent in the market. Governments of countries can learn from each other about the economic development and improve the condition of their masses.

Enhancing the personality: If the peer group of a person is good, it can have a far-reaching effect on the personality. He or she can copy the good values of the peers and include them into the life. True friends never try to compete with each other but inspire their fellow beings to achieve greater heights. Positive encouragement from them would bring about constructive changes in your personality.

Conclusion:

Peer pressure can be negative and positive however it depends on the individual to emulate the good points and leave out the bad ones.