Tommy Doctor

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1102
3 December 2015
Reflections
My first draft of my thesis was a nice eye opener for me. What I really wanted to
do was to first write the main points I wanted to get across. I didnt add any of my
research yet because I wanted to really how much I knew about my subject and how
much I was going to need to add to it. At first it was hard for me to really get anything
written at all. But once I started getting my personal side of the subject and established
what I knew about peer pressure, it became easier. My conference was very helpful
because I figured out exactly what I was missing and how I could make my paper better. I
am confident I will be able to write a well-constructed final thesis.
The second draft of my thesis was where I really kicked things up. I used a lot of
my annotated bibliographies and a lot of my own personal experiences and writing it
really wasnt hard for me. The only thing I seem to be struggling with right now is
finishing my essay up and getting the length all the way there. I am not completely done
with it but I am pretty close to finalizing my thesis. Once I am done putting all of my
sources into my paper I feel as if I will have enough info and length.

What is peer pressure and how can it be both positive and negative?

Peer Pressure
"Peer pressure is the social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a
certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted." This
feeling is something everyone has experienced at one time or another. This is something
that can completely control the way someone goes about his or her everyday life. The
feeling to be respected and want to fit in by others, it can change a persons whole
behavior. Peer pressure is something that is hard to resist. There are all different reasons
for why it occurs that are both for the good and the bad.
When it comes down to it, there are three main forms of peer pressure. The
pressure to do something could come directly as someone telling you what to do. This
type of peer pressure may be hard to back down from, even if it is something you do not
want to do. Someone confronting you and telling you to do something has a different
kind of affect on you simply depending on the situation. The person may be disappointed,
mad or sad if you do not do what they tell you to do. However, you may do it because it
will make the person happy and be a good decision for you. This is direct form of peer
pressure can be both positive and negative.
Indirect peer pressure is another form that occurs. This is a style of pressure that
may not always be obvious to you. Particular habits and activities are normally done with
the same group of friends that someone has. This means that when you are with a
different group of friends, it is unlikely that you will be doing the same activities. For
example, you may be with a certain group of friends that just enjoys studying and
hanging out compared to a different group of friends that is more into doing devious

activities such as smoking or getting into trouble. Either group that you associate yourself
with will determine the sort of activities you choose to do.
The pressure someone puts on himself or herself is the last form of peer pressure.
Feeling different and out of place can be very hard on somebody. This often times causes
a person to change themselves as individuals to be able to fit in with the rest of the
crowd. For example, something like this could happen when someone moves to a new
town or gets a new job. This means having to enter a new environment that may make
someone uncomfortable and cause him or her to do anything they can do to fit in. When
people feel anxious and unsure about themselves is when peer pressure takes on someone
the hardest.
As a college student, I see the affects of peer pressure every day with my peers. It
is really interesting to me because I see it so prevalent among people my age and the
choices we make now can affect the rest of our lives. In most cases, peer pressure is seen
as something negative. However, peer pressure has had many positive influences on
peoples lives. For example, when I was a freshman in high school, there was high hopes
for me playing on the football team and could not wait to get started. One of my best
friends, Paul, who played football with me my entire life leading up to high school, was
not sure if he wanted to play or not. In a way, I guess you could say I pressured Paul into
joining the team with me. I wanted to play with him because it has something we have
always done together and I knew it would be fun for us and both keep us on track and out
of trouble through high school. In the long run, four years after I pressured Paul into
joining the team, he is playing football in college on a full scholarship.

Another example of beneficial peer pressure was the end of my sophomore year
of high school when I had to start making decision on what level difficulty of classes I
wanted to take to finish out high school and start college. I was really focused on football
at the time and was not sure if I wanted to test my abilities both on the field and off the
field in the classroom. I had the opportunity to take advanced level courses to get credit
for college but my thoughts were if I just focus on making myself better at football, I
would have no problem getting into college. My sister, who is two years older than me,
thought differently on the subject. She pressured me into challenging myself and taking
AP classes because nobody knows what could happen down the road and football might
not always be there for me. I decided to take the advanced credits and was able to transfer
twelve credits at the start of my first college semester. The pressure from my sister
Shannon put me ahead of the game going into college.
This type of peer pressure in both scenarios was a form that was for the greater
good rather than doing it for bad intentions. In this case, there could be multiple different
reasons for why the peer pressure occurs. Oftentimes, people fall victim to peer pressure
as a result of their desire to be included in a group or team, which in this case may not be
such a bad thing. Paul did something good for me because he knew I wanted him to play.
He also did a good thing for himself because everything worked out in a positive manner
for him. Along with that, the pressure from my sister to take the AP courses put me into a
good place while starting my first semester.
Peer Pressure is a an article that did a study on peer pressure where agents in an
office care about their neighbors actions and can pressure them to take certain actions.
The authors state Even though the term pressure embodies some negative

connotations, the presence of externalities suggests that the ability of agents to influence
each others decisions could be welfare-improving (Calv-Armengol and Jackson). This
is relative because the influence that I both gave and received was most definitely
welfare-improving. Positive peer pressure is something that most people forget about but
can be seen through individuals who surround themselves with people who make good
choices. What the authors and I both believe is that peer pressure with the intentions of
influencing someone to reach the best of their abilities is something that could be looked
at as a positive.
Peer pressure being used in a negative manner is what is most commonly seen and
what is normally alleged when it comes to the thought of peer pressure. The need to fit in
is one of the main causes of the negative peer pressure that occurs to someone (Reed and
Rountree). A person will change their entire behavior if it means their peers will like
them. This is where most negative peer pressure takes place.
Alcohol is a common factor that may cause negative peer pressure. I knew of a
boy from my hometown that went to West Virginia University. He was just a normal kid
who always wanted to have a good time. While he was at West Virginia, he began rushing
a fraternity. When someone tries to join a fraternity, they are considered a pledge and
have to do certain tasks to be able to join the fraternity. The story behind the boy I knew
was that he was being pressured into drinking all night long. There were claims and
accusations that he was being seriously pressured and hazed to keep going and not stop.
What happened next was tragic and heart-breaking news for everyone that knew him
because of who he was and how much of a good time he was and nothing like this should
have ever happened. That night he died from too much alcohol consumption. Even

though people say that he could have stopped if he wanted to, peer pressure is what takes
control of adolescence in a situation like that. There is a serious need and want to fit in
and be liked by others and the person being peer pressured will give in because of that. In
this case, it was not worth it.
It's natural for people to identify with and compare themselves to their peers as
they consider how they wish to be (or think they should be), or what they want to
achieve. People are influenced by peers because they want to fit in, be like peers they
admire, do what others are doing, or have what others have (Peer Pressure). This quote
came from an article by Arcy Lyness that talks about how powerful peer pressure is and
how people will do anything to fit in and try to be like everyone else. I agree with this
theory because I see it first hand almost everyday. It is a constant struggle, especially in
adolescents, to try to be accepted by their peers and people will do anything to achieve
this.
Peer pressure occurs for many different reasons. Positive peer pressure is
something that most people forget about but can be seen through individuals who
surround themselves with people who make good choices such as striving for good
grades or by doing good things for other people. Negative peer pressure is often seen
taking place with teens that struggle with loneliness, low self-esteem, and the desire to be
accepted by others. Being pressured into doing something, especially something you do
not want to do, is something serious that goes on everyday in our lives. There is no true
way in stopping peer pressure from occurring. However, it would not hurt if everyone
tried to have the positive acts of peer pressure on a person rather than the negative
intentions.

Works Cited

Calv-Armengol, A., & Jackson, M. O. (2010). PEER PRESSURE. Journal Of The

European Economic Association, 8(1), 62-89.
Reed, M., & Rountree, P. (n.d.). Peer Pressure And Adolescent Substance Use. Journal of
Quantitative Criminology, 143-180.
Lyness, A. (2015, July 1). Peer Pressure. Retrieved December 1, 2015, from
http://kidshealth.org/teen/homework/problems/peer_pressure.html