People, especially adolescents, can be susceptible to the persuasive power of peer pressure. The latter can often lead them to make choices and perform actions that they otherwise would not have chosen or undertaken on their own accord. It is the same as if someone were to use powerful machinery to alter the natural flow of a river in order to achieve their objectives, even though the river’s natural tendency is to flow into the ocean.

In case you are subjected to the influence of your peers, the following are some things you need to be aware of and acknowledge, as well as some strategies for overcoming that influence.

  1. Cultivate self-confidence by having faith in yourself and liking yourself first and foremost. You will be able to withstand the influence of your peers if you possess the self-assurance to look them in the eye and believe in yourself, even when you are occasionally or even frequently wrong.
  2. Create your own personal set of standards, and be aware of what you stand for. If you believe that stealing is wrong, for instance, and your friends try to persuade you to shoplift from a 7-11, they will have a much tougher time doing so because you have core values that you hold dear. To the extent that you have faith in your principles, it will be more challenging to divert you, like a waterway, away from them.
  3. Establish personal objectives for yourself. It is much less likely that you will engage in behavior that will prevent you from achieving the goals you have set for yourself if you have those goals clearly defined and actively work toward attaining them.
  4. Realize that one of the best parts about being an adult (or being mature) is that you never, ever need a justification to do or not do something. Because you either feel like doing it or don’t feel like doing it is a sufficient excuse. You are not required to give others an explanation of who you are. Your reasons are none of their business, so stop bringing it up. People who coerce, threaten, wheedle, insult, or flatter you in an effort to get you to do things that are in conflict with your beliefs are doing so for THEIR advantage, not yours, and you owe those people nothing, not your fealty or consideration.
  5. Come to the understanding that seeking the approbation of others is a game for fools. Certainly, everyone has the desire to be liked and accepted by others, but in order to achieve this goal, you must first gain the approval and acceptance of people whom you respect and, more significantly, who respect you. If you are in need of approval or if you want to be accepted by the in-crowd, then you do not have sufficient levels of self-confidence or self-love, and you do not respect yourself enough to be able to reject them. You have enough self-respect to never allow yourself to be sidetracked from the positive purpose you have set for yourself by people who do not have your best interests at heart.
  6. Maintain a cheerful demeanor at all times, a smile, and a positive outlook. The only thing in the universe over which you have complete control is the way in which you react to a given circumstance. Keep a level head, always be smiling, stand up straight, and when you speak, stare people in the eye with a smile on your face. People will run away in fear of you, and you will rise to the position of authority despite not having taken any action. Because most people have no idea where they are going and are terrified that others will discover they are a fraud, the one thing that people are terrified of is someone who knows where he is going and stares them in the eye. This is because most people have no idea where they are going.
  7. You should never attempt to communicate with extortionists. There are times when you have to put up a fight, and I don’t particularly mean in a physical sense, although that can certainly occur. You still need to put up a battle, even if you are confident that you will come out on the losing end, because it is not the victory itself that is important – though it would be awesome if you could always win. It’s rather the action of defending what you believe in, yourself, and your values. You will show the others that there is a price to be paid for messing with you, even if you lose, and you will earn the respect of the people who matter, even if they do not say so or assist you now. This can be accomplished by fighting your way through the process, even if it means accepting defeat at some stage. As a matter of fact, you will seem like a colossus to them even if you end up losing because you fought for yourself, which is something that so few other people do. Bullies need to be confronted, and the way to do that is to confront them head-on. If the blackmailer follows through with their promise, the damage will only be done once; however, if you give in to their demands, the problem will never, ever go away. As a result, you should never give in to the demands of blackmailers, no matter how much it costs you.
  8. Come to terms with the fact that there are people in your life, including people who love you, who will try to prevent you from achieving the goals you have set for yourself. This is not necessarily because they are your enemies; rather, it is because they cannot stand to see someone else succeed while they struggle. They want company in their misery, and as a result, they may attempt to sabotage you or make it so that you fail so that they can have company in their own misery. This could be done deliberately or unconsciously. Either way, it’s possible.
  9. Always keep in mind that it is none of your business what other people believe of you. Don’t worry about what others think of you, whether they praise you or criticize you. Both are deceptions, and both are fleeting things that people will use to try to manipulate you into doing what they want you to do. You will be able to deflect the negative peer pressure and achieve your objectives if you keep your eyes on the goal, rather than the goalie, and if you follow through with what you start.
  10. Cultivate a personality that is easily recognizable. You can earn a decent reputation by conducting yourself in an honest manner. Character is established through a multitude of small, honest deeds that are repeated over and over again. What defines your character is your behavior when no one is watching. Integrity can be defined as your character demonstrated over a length of time through the maintenance of consistent behavior. People will interact with you in a manner that is consistent with the understanding they have formed of who you are and what you stand for when you have character and integrity. Because of how they view the person you’ve become over time, other people won’t believe awful things that happen to you or will be more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt when something terrible does occur. If you have integrity, people will trust you, and it will be very difficult for them to persuade you to act in a way that is contrary to your values through negative social pressure.

In conclusion, I believe that peer pressure can be an effective form of motivation, provided that the stages outlined above are adhered to. It keeps you doing your task. If you enjoy what you do, there is no amount of peer pressure, no matter how it manifests itself, that can convince you to cease thinking about doing it. As a result, you are currently making use of it to boost your level of productivity. Have a look at it this way, as well!

Thanks for reading!