Facing up to peer pressure

Diane Staunton Staples

Did it ever occur to you that adults are confronted with peer pressures, just as you are? Probably one of the reasons your dad mows the lawn regularly (or makes you do it) is neighborhood attitudes. And why do you think your mother bothers to dress up for church? It may be more than just the fact that she wants to look presentable. Adults also get some of the tougher ones, like, "Shall I have a social drink with this client, who probably isn't going to give me his business if I act like Goody Two-shoes?" And, "Maybe we should serve a cocktail when the boss and his wife come to dinner, so they won't think we're rude."

The problem of peer pressures is not one that happens when you're in school and goes away when you get older. Like any other human problem, it is likely to hang around and nag at you until you deal with it.

Faced with peer pressures, we often tend to focus on the question, "What will happen if I don't go along with this?" But the questions we really need to ask ourselves are, "What is this pressure trying to get me to do? Is it right or wrong? And how shall I respond to it?"

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Facing up to peer pressure

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