The life of people is an interconnected network where each individual is influenced by someone else. Sometimes, these influences are characteristic of a whole society and people are forced and pressured to do things they do not want to.
In some instances, the pressure is indirect and by mere observation people feel that they have no choice but to conform to the majority, so that they do not stand out from the population. The people most affected by peer pressure are the younger generation, as they are very impressible and will learn from the actions of others.
Solomon Asch has studied conformity very closely and ran several experiments to test how much people will bend towards the wishes and behaviors of others. People were then questioned, after the experiments were over and the reasons they presented for their behavior were quite interesting.
Some people said that they went with the majority because they did not want to stand out or to negatively affect the results of the testing. Others believed that by going with the majority they acted in the interests of most people and thus, were actually doing a good thing (Smith, 83). An interesting statistic emerges, as there are two kinds of conformity. One might be said to come to light when people conform to laws of society and behave within the norm that is acceptable by the majority.
Another perspective is that peer pressure is wrong because people who are less confident will repeat the actions and mistakes of others, thus depriving themselves of their individuality and freedom of choice. The first type happens for the benefit and is positive while the second is detrimental and based on the lack of confidence in an individual.
A personal experience was seen during a demonstration at the school where students demanded their rights met. The majority of people were sure that students require better treatment through lunch breaks, more lenient use of library and computers, as well as the ability to go home, if such a need arises.
A certain number of students came out and some were unsure what to do. I was in the group that came out because all my friends were there. Beforehand, there was a discussion that only cowards and those conforming to the norms will not come out and so, it was a kind of both positive and negative peer pressure.
In case I did not come out, I would succumb to the pressure of other peers who stayed behind and chose the coward way. But from another perspective, during the discussion, it was clear that we must join together and change something. Even though I might have felt to be pressured, as I wanted no trouble, I chose to come out and try to change the commonly accepted standards.
Later in the school year, some people refused to use the garbage cans and would purposefully litter in the halls. Students were saying that this was a form of protest and if the conditions are worsened in such a way that it becomes impossible to study in a healthy environment, the school will be stopped. I did not follow such behavior because it was immoral and unethical to the people who would clean up but most importantly, it was wrong by personal standards.
Works Cited
Smith, Joanne. Social Psychology: Revisiting the Classic Studies. Thousand Oaks, United States: SAGE, 2012. Print.