Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Roll No: 15
Section/Batch: F1- PG 09/11 FW
Social influences
Peer pressure can be hard for anyone to resist, no matter what your age.
Smoking can play an important role in friendships, while offering a cigarette or asking for a light can be ice-
breakers to start a conversation.
It can create a bond between smokers, for example the huddled groups who smoke outside offices.
If your friends smoke, deciding to quit can be awkward because they may see it as an implicit criticism of their
habit.
Cultural influences
Over the years television shows and films have effectively built up associations between smoking and glamour,
sex and risk-taking.
From classic movies with Humphrey Bogart to Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, cultural images involving
cigarettes are strong, and generally positive about smoking.
In addition, we are still subject to advertising that deliberately promotes smoking and makes positive
associations with brands.
The tobacco industry denies targeting young people, but the result of sponsoring exciting, risky, macho sports,
is that it attracts the attention of young boys.
A study found that boys who were fans of motor racing, which is heavily sponsored by the tobacco industry,
were more likely to smoke than those who weren't.
What these images don't convey are the negatives of smoking, from the yellow stains on your fingers and the
stench of your breath, or the long-term serious consequences from smoking.
What are your issues?
There are many psychological and social pressures on smokers, and on those who are trying to quit. But this
doesn't mean it's impossible to quit, or that you'll find it difficult.
Some people quit first time, some take more attempts, but if you don't try, you can't become one of the 11
million ex-smokers in the UK.