1

The Effects of Peer Pressure on the Youth

of the Society

By

GALINGAN, DANIELA B.
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CHAPTER 1

I. Introduction

Peer pressure is a very real issue that affects many of the teenagers of the world today.
Society offers many misleading advertisements that seem to lead teens in all the wrong
directions. If the youth of today are more educated, the future of our world will be a lot better
off (Dobson).There are all sorts of pressures that youth face today. Drinking, smoking, staying
out past curfew, having sex when you are not ready- whatever it may be, sometimes others put
the pressure on you to participate in something you might not want to do (Hayes).
             Peer pressure is stress of strain you feel from friends and school mates to act, behave,
think and look a certain way. This kind of pressure can cover everything from fashion through
sex and dating (Goldsmith). If you are very worried about peer pressure it is important to find
someone who you can talk to.
             Teens today face numerous tensions that can have an impact on the decisions they
make. Sometimes these decisions are negative ones, including using drugs or alcohol, sex,
violence or just a desire to fit in (Lingren). Although peer pressure can be extremely strong and
hard to resist, there are ways to fight it. Studies have shown how peer pressure
             alone can change one's mind from what they know is right to making the wrong
decision. Also, it has been said that all it takes for someone to stand their ground on what they
know is right is for one other peer to agree with them.
             Inner strength and self-confidence can help you stand firm, walk away, and resist doing
something when you know better. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what
is right and wrong can help you to know the right thing to do (Kids Health). If you continually
face peer pressure and you are finding it difficult to handle, talk to someone you trust.

Peer pressure can be both negative and positive, because if a person is a peer pressuring
you for a good cause then it is motivation. Motivation is essential for the growth of a person, while
peer pressure for a bad cause will always lead you to a disastrous situation. Therefore, it is
necessary for a person to not get influenced by the people around them. They should analyze the
outcome of the deed in a strict manner so that they may not commit anything harmful for
themselves. As this world is full of bad people, so you need to be careful before trusting anybody.

Moreover, there are advantages of peer pressure. Most importantly, it serves as a

motivation in a person that forces the person to face the barriers and achieve something great.
Another advantage of peer pressure is that it boosts the self-confidence of a person because our
brain considers the opinion of other people and makes them a priority. This peer pressure also
creates a better character of a person. For instance, when we recommend someone for a particular
job, the interviewer already gets a better image of that person because he or she is recommended
by a person the interviewer trusts. Therefore there is a great chance of that person to get hired.
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If there are advantages, there are also disadvantages of peer pressure that can harm other
people in many ways. If any person is not willing to perform a task then the peer pressure can be
frustrating to him. Furthermore, peer pressure should not be in an excessive manner. It lands a
negative impact on the person. A person should have a mindset of listening to himself/herself
first. Peer pressure in youth from a bad company can lead a person to a nasty situation.
Furthermore, it can also hamper a student’s career and studies if not averted. Youth these days are
much influenced by the glamorous life of celebrities. And since they follow them so much, these
people become their peers. Thus they do such things that they should not. Drugs and smoking are
major examples of this. Moreover most shocking is that the minors are even doing these things.
This can have adverse effects on their growth and career. It is necessary to judge the outcome of a
deed before getting influenced by peers. Furthermore, peer pressure should always be secondary.
Your own thoughts and wants should always have the first priority. Peer pressure has adverse
effects on the youth of society. Some false influencers are playing with the minds of the
youngsters. As a result, the youth is going in the wrong direction and ruining their career
opportunities.

Review of the related literature

  Currently, youths at an early age are being pressured to do things against their will.
Statistics shows that over ninety percent of students who are pressured by their peers to use
drugs or sell other narcotic substances begin as early as age nine.  Likewise, alcoholism can be
just as devastating to society as drug abuse especially to the young. Studies show that the
influence of peer groups among youths can boost their anxiety especially pertaining to their
education (Kadir, Atmowasdoyo & Salija 2018). The relationship within the group with its
peers are co-related with each other, hence the direction of this particular relationship should
be monitored were these relationships should go considering all possible factors correlated
within the groups outcome (Wilson, 2016). Peer pressure faced by many teenagers of the
society, professionals understood the concept of peer influence that could affect teenagers in
a negative way which can be prevented by educating and preparing teenagers to face the
negative aspects caused by peer pressure (Temitope & Og0nsakin, 2015). Similarly, peer
influence among teenagers does not directly affect them in a negative way but it varies in how
much and how the students receive the climate of the peers coming from the group (Mosha,
2017).

Youths who gains social support from its peers is an important factor to cope with
different problems and illnesses by letting go of their emotions by talking someone. Social
support plays an important role for teenagers to lessen the effects of stressful situations and
stressors through the support of the peers in the group (Esen & Gundogdu 2010). Despite the
various studies conducted for understanding the effects of peer group in student’s academic
performance, no one has yet understood the nature of peer effects among youths (Zhang,
2010). Knowing how the youthsinteract with their peers and how they interact with each
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other and how presence of peer group affect student’s academic achievement in school plays an
important role for various categories and even the whole educational system (Leka, 2015).
Peer pressure is commonly described as peers encouraging other teenagers to do things
(Santor, Messervey & Kusumakar, 2000). Peer pressure is also caused by parent’s lack of
supervision towards their children during adolescence, children tend to enjoy their peers
company and spend with their peers more during the adolescence period (Puligni,
1993).
Understanding peer influence towards youths plays an important role for developing
and understanding how to improve socioeconomic policies (Carman & Zhang, 2011). Peer
among youth plays a vital role during the adolescence of a teenager. This is the time when
youths develop deep friendship among their peers and become permanent during their
adolescence (Guzman, 2017). Peer pressure towards persons behavior is said to be a social
phenomenon where the members of a particular society may not be influence negatively but
majority are affected by the undesirable behavior of those people who resist what others do
(Gulati, 2017).
Peer pressure could easily affect the self-esteem of students that an important factor
adolescence. Individual adapt attitudes towards a certain aspect that they encountered or they
are aware of (Uslu, 2013). In many events student fantasizing and visualizing what they
dreamed to became through with their colleagues atmosphere. Eventually, they pursue their
choices through with the influence of peer pressure (Owoyele & Toyobo, 2008). The pressure
among peer group among its member may engage to do undesired things or negative
behavior with the presence of a particular peer group leader who engage its member to do
deviant acts or promote undesirable things to the group (Dumas, Ellis, & Wolfe, 2012).
Peer group is important in the social context that plays a vital role in society and to determine
the academic achievement that affect during development relatively with each other (Chen,
2008). Hence, the behavior of an individual have seen similarities among the group due to the
effect of their peers, it is still difficult to relate the consequences that the individual within the
group are similar with each other or social to be pursuing their intentions together to have
similar outcomes (Kremer & Levy, 2008).
Therefore, Peer Pressure cannot directly be shown to have negative or positive impact
towards youths in the society but one can realize the appropriate coping mechanism for a
problem as a technique to avoid and fight peer pressure optimistically.

Conceptual Framework

PEER EFFECTS OF PEER YOUTHS SOCIETY

PRESSURE PRESSURE
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The Theoretical Framework

Teenagers are affected by peer pressure at least once in their life. It is commonly

thought to be an issue related being a teenager but pressure from society and peers starts at a

very young age and can continue into late adult hood. Peer pressure can range from

encouragement to indirect pressures to intense bullying. This study anchored on Erikson's

Theory on Social development. Erickson's theory states that peer pressure is needed for a

person to develop, learn and grow and to form into an individual; it is through both positive and

negative peer pressure that people form and develop their individuality and social status, this

often starts in adolescence. The impacts exerted by a peer group on its separate members to fit

in with or conform to group expectations by thinking, feeling, and acting in a like or approved

way commonly referred to as peer- pressure. Both positive and negative social influences are

used to form an individual. People learn and develop personalities and traits from their social

influences such as friends and family. Adolescence is the time where people develop traits and

caricatures that will from the way the act and are perceived, these characteristics can be

influenced by peers. To deal with peer pressure we should take note that, we should be

prepared to deal with peer pressure by having a response ready. Avoid places where people do

illegal activities or other things you feel uncomfortable around. Lean on people for support, like

your friends, family, or a therapist.

Another theory is the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) that deals with cognitive, emotional

and behavioral aspects for understanding behavioral change. Social Cognitive Theory has been

researched and practiced by a network of researchers around the world and has been
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described as a theory explaining how people acquire and maintain certain behavioral patterns,

while also providing the basis for intervention strategies (Bandura, 2001). Parraga (1990) uses

the concept of SCT in relation to innate and universal, different environments in understanding

adolescents’ behavior. In this study, SCT is used to highlight the mechanisms through which

adolescent misbehavior can be influenced by their environments.

Significance of the study

The significance of this study is to prove if there is a positive or negative effect of

peer pressure with the youths of the society. The findings of this study will strongly enlighten the

society thus stimulate them to provide good environments and instill good social attitudes to

youths while molding adolescents’ behaviors in the society. The study is very significant as it

will motivate youths in such a way as to promote good behaviors and also offer possible

interventions. This study will become a new referral point for further research on the influence

of peer pressure on the society and beyond.

The paradigm of the study

DV
IV
EFFECTS OF PEER
PEER PRESSURE
PRESSURE

MV

YOUTHS

AGE
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Objectives of the study

The objective of the study is:

 The study aims to examine the effects of peer pressure on the youth of the society.

Definition of terms

1. Peer pressure - a feeling that one must do the same things as other people of

one's age and social group in order to be liked or respected by them.

2. Peers - one belonging to the same societal group especially based on age,

grade, or status.

3. Society - the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.

4. Youth - the period between childhood and adult age.

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CHAPTER 2

Methodology

The design of the study

A qualitative research design was used in this study because the researchers wanted

to find out the effects of peer pressure in the society. Since this study sought to understand

peer pressure and its effects on the youths, the researchers found qualitative design

relevant. Qualitative research is an enquiry in which researchers collect data in face-to-face

situations by interacting with selected persons in their settings, describing and analyzing

people’s individual and collective social actions, beliefs, thoughts, and

perceptions( McMillan & Schumacher).

Data Gathering Tool

This study used in-depth interviews. This instrument gave the researchers the

platform to ask open ended questions about the effects of peer pressure on the society so

that the participants will be able to explain issues concerning this problem being

interviewed.

Data Gathering Procedure

The unstructured one-to-one in-depth interviews was conducted through visiting

the respective location and making personal contact with the selected participants,

preferably in a quiet place such as living room in order to avoid disturbances. Interviews

carried out after online classes. In order to ensure completeness and reliability of

information, interview sessions will be recorded on a provided paper.

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The Population of the Study

The population consisted of youths in the society. The sample for the study will be

six participants in total, made up of 3 female youth’s and 3 male youths in grade 10. The

information gathered helps the researcher to be able to support and prove the study.

Treatment of the data

The data will be treated using a chi-square. It is a testing of the relationship between
the categorical variables and its null hypothesis (Ho) represents on relationship at all with
the independents such as categorical variables in the population.

Ethical Consideration

Ethical measures were strictly observed. Participants were informed about the

required ethics to ensure their safety. I ask permission from the parents and participants.
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