Peer Influence Essay Example

Adolescents can too change the way they talk as well as the words they use as a result of the influence they get from their peers. These changes in choice among peers come as a result of them trying to look for a language that they can converse while avoiding them being understood by those outside their groups. It has been evident in many communities whereby young people have come up with a language that has not been inexistent and the words change as various peers grow. Additionally, peers may start talking to other members of the society rudely as they assume that they are fully developed and thus feel offended by older individuals whenever they are addressed as young individuals. Breaking rules as well as doing risky things is another way peers groups can influence the behaviors of adolescents (Aslan & Tugrul, n.d.). This change in behaviors come about as a result of the ego the individuals seem to adopt a vulgar language that may scare away anyone who may want to demean them by addressing them like children.

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In the school life, peer groups have been known to play a great role in how the adolescents perform. The peer influence may vary as some peer may influence the peers positively or negatively by either influencing them to work harder or make them reluctant on the other hand. On the positive side of making them work harder in school, the adolescents may compete such that none of them want to be outshone by the other one in the academics. This type of behavioral influence is very beneficial to the adolescents as at the end of the day they will end up achieving more (In Bongardt, D, In Yu, In Dekovic, & In Meeus, 2017). However, when the peer group influences the peers to participate in behaviors that are most likely to affect the adolescent's concentration on his or her studies, then the teen will fail in school. Such influence that can make the peer fail in school is indulgence in drug abuse and irresponsible sexual behaviors.

Additionally, peers can influence the adolescents to start dating and taking part in sexual activities because they consider it cool and mature. This influence comes in the way that one sees all his or her peers are dating and repeatedly involve in sexual activities and thus, one also tries to experiment the behavior (Windzio, 2015). Being at an age that they want to test almost everything they come across in life, the peers may find themselves suffering from consequences such as unwanted pregnancies that may lead to school dropout or even contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, such influence can affect the lives of the adolescents permanently to the extent that they would blame themselves for their entire life.

Adolescents can too be influenced by their peers to engage themselves in behaviors such as smoking, using alcohol or other drugs. Such behaviors not only affect their studies and health but also the way they act in the society (Santrock, 2014). When adolescents get involved in drug abuse at the teenage and are not involved in any income generating project, they will end up engaging themselves in criminal activities that will affect the society in one way or another. Drug and substance abuse among the teens too deprives them of good health which may result to death and deny the community a future generation to rely on.

In conclusion, it is essential for the youths at the adolescent stage of life to get the balance right between being oneself and trying to fit into the various groups in life. This is because adolescents are more likely to be negatively influenced by their peers as those with low self-esteem will find involving themselves in the activities of their peers as the only way they would remain relevant is by taking in the behaviors of the groups (Santrock, 2014). Additionally, parents too need to guide their children, especially at this age to avoid them being misled by their friends by conducting them on how they have to handle life situations as well as how they should behave in the society.

References

Aslan, O. M., & Tugrul, B. (n.d.). How Does Peer Relationship's Influence on Aggression and Play Behavior in Early Childhood? PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e574242014-204

In Bongardt, D, In Yu, R., In Dekovic, M., & In Meeus, W. (2017). Romantic relationships and sexuality in adolescence and young adulthood: The role of parents, peers, and partners.

Santrock, J. W. (2014). A topical approach to life-span development.

Vaughans, K., & Spielberg, W. (2014). The psychology of Black boys and adolescents. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger.

Windzio, M. (2015). Children's and Adolescents' Peer Networks and Migrant Integration. Families, Intergenerationality, and Peer Group Relations, 1-20. doi:10.1007/978-981-4585-92-7_14-1

Windzio, M. (2018). Children's and Adolescents' Peer Networks and Migrant Integration. Families, Intergenerationality, and Peer Group Relations, 373-392. doi:10.1007/978-981-287-026-1_14