Cause
Some of the main causes of peer pressure are related to age-appropriate behavior. Adolescents develop a strong desire to fit in with their peers and be accepted by them. This desire makes adolescent peer pressure tough to resist.
First, normative influence can make us do things that we might not normally. It is peer pressure that makes us drink and try to fit in with our friends to other people around us. Informational influence is a pressure influences our opinions or preferences so that we’re more in line with the preferences of other people.
Effect
You may associate peer pressure with negative and positive effects. Negative outcomes such as drinking alcohol, drugs, or smoking. However, peer pressure can also give positive effects but it depends on the person and their friends that influences them. Peer pressure can influence anyone’s life, from their taste of music to their subjects in class and so on.
Positive effects:
– A sense of belonging and support from their family or friends.
-Increased self confidence towards other people.
-Beginning of positive interests and hobbies.
-Reinforcement of positive attitudes and habits.
Negative effects:
-Pressure to use drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.
-Pressure to engage in risk taking behaviors.
-Distraction from school works.
-Distance from family and existing friends.
-Drastic changes in attitudes and behavior.
Peer Pressure & Peer Influence 