An End to Negative Peer Pressure

An End to Negative Peer Pressure Melissa Richards College of Dupage Elizabeth Anderson English 1101

An End to Negative Peer Pressure Overview Peer pressure is happening around us every day. Below is a graph that shows the study of 576 thirteen year olds and how many times they have been under negative peer pressure. Childrens self esteems are decreasing because of the stereotypes in the media and because they are spending less time with family members; the people who help them install core values to live a fulfilling life. Also, school systems have no curricular classes to help them learn self esteem. So, children are not learning self confidence anywhere and they think that they only way to be accepted is by giving in to negative peer pressure. By gaining family unity, breaking gender stereotypes in the media, and adding self esteem classes, children will finally have the confidence to say no to negative peer pressure.

An End to Negative Peer Pressure Why do children and adolescents give into negative peer pressure? According to Sharon Scott(2001), children give in because they want to feel accepted in every aspect of life, from family to peers. Without that acceptance, children are more likely to do anything to gain approval. When children are growing up, the frontal lobe of their brain is not fully developed.

An End to Negative Peer Pressure The frontal lobe is the part of the brain used for reasoning, problem solving, judgment, and impulse control. Without this part being fully developed, children do not think clearly and are more likely to cause themselves harm, physically and mentally. If we, as a society, build our childrens self-esteem by gaining family unity and developing self-esteem classes, then teens will be able to break the gender stereotypes that the media portrays, gain confidence, and say no to negative peer pressure. Gaining Family Unity Gaining family unity is one way to ensure that children will not give into negative peer pressure. According to Sharon Scott (2001), Children are constantly bombarded with negative messages that encourage alcohol and other harmful behaviors. These messages are becoming more powerful because families communicate less than they did in the past (1). When children are growing up, family is the main social force that they interact with. But, when children reach first grade, peers join their social circle. Right at this instant, children are more likely to give into pressure, since this is the first experiences they have with other people. It is okay for children to interact with other people, but they should also have time to interact with their families because this is where values are installed, which could later aid in helping them succeed in life. A 2001 news article states that, Extra adults around the child can provide an additional helping of attention and guidance, which encourages the childs responsible behavior and good self-image (2). Children are more likely to have a good self-image and responsible behavior if the parents are involved/interact with them. Without their parents love and acceptance, children are very likely to obtain a low self-image of themselves. Children who feel this way will do anything to gain approval from somewhere; even something that they do not want to do. But, when parents do interact with their children and make them feel accepted, they will not feel the

An End to Negative Peer Pressure overwhelming need to gain approval anymore because they already have people who care about them unconditionally. So, when we as a society gain family unity (by spending more time with their children), then they will have the confidence and acceptance to make the right decisions and say no to negative peer pressure permanently. Breaking Gender Stereotypes in the Media The media is filled with too many negative messages/images on what a person should look and act like. Stereotypes. Stereotypes are everywhere, especially in the media. When our society breaks these gender stereotypes, then teens, especially girls, will gain self-esteem. Therefore, having the confidence needed to say no to negative peer pressure. Because of the images portrayed in the media, teens believe that they need to become that person (skinny girl or muscular guy) instead of becoming themselves. They strive to become this person that the media wants them to be. When they do not reach the quality, they gain these negative feelings about themselves, later leaving them to gain low self-image. For example, in a 2011 Teens Health magazine, a teenager named Katie St. Martin would starve herself just to get the body image of famous actresses. She would call herself fat and hideous, doing everything and anything possible to change her appearance to fit the portrayal of what the media considers beautiful (45). This example is what many girls do to become someone else, when they should have just been themselves. We need to put a stop to this by breaking and forgetting to stereotypes that the media puts in our heads. As said by Garland in a famous book, we should always be a first-rate version of ourselves, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else (47); meaning we should forget about other people and just be ourselves. According to a 2009 Teens Health article, people who have low self-esteem do have the qualities they admire; they just cannot see that they do because their self-image is trained that way (2). When we break these stereotypes,

An End to Negative Peer Pressure adolescents will forget about the negative messages that the media portrays and become themselves. When they become themselves, they will gain the confidence and self-esteem that they always desired. With that newly found confidence and self-esteem, teens will learn to say no to negative peer pressure. Making Self Esteem Classes in Educational Centers Since so many children do not have the confidence to say no to negative peer pressure, schools and faculty should seriously consider making more self-esteem classes to help children acquire the self-esteem that they need to stand up for themselves. An example of one of these programs is called Black Girl Speaks. According to a 2011 news article by Marlene Sokal, this class has helped many children and teens gain the self confidence/self worth that they always desired. This class commends students for speaking out as they were instructed to do; as they have been implored to do (2). Students also do workshops and poetry events all while having a mentor and advocate by their side. These self-esteem programs have caught the eyes of the students and faculty because this class has shown many positive effects. For example, in a 2011 news article by Marlene Sokal, a nineteen year old girl names Cassidy Hinton commented that Black Girl Speaks helped me find my speaking voice, to know who I am and where I want to go (1). Many other students and faculty show strong support towards this class. This program has helped students find their voice; to speak up, gain confidence/self worth and say no to negative peer pressure.

By gaining family unity, developing self-esteem classes, and breaking gender stereotypes, teens will gain the confidence and acceptance necessary to live a happy and positive life. Negative peer pressure is a big deal in the world and it needs to be put to a stop

An End to Negative Peer Pressure immediately. By making these adjustments in our society, we will significantly change our childrens self-esteem so they will finally have the confidence they need to say no to negative peer pressure, once and for all. As said by Gandhi, A no uttered from the deepest conviction is better and greater than a yes merely uttered to please. So, will you say no? Works Cited "Body Image and Self-Esteem." Teens Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.

"How Can I Improve My Self-Esteem?" Teens Health. Nemours, Mar. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.
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Scott, Sharon. "Social Pressures Encourage Teen Drinking." Teen Alcoholism. 2001. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.

Sokol, Marlene. "Board Decides to Renew Self-Esteem Program; Students and Faculty Speak about the Many Positve Effects of Black Girl Speaks." The St. Petersburg Times 9 Nov. 2011: n. pag. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. MMP5

Gaining Family Unity

Breaking Gender Stereotypes in Media

Making Self Esteem Classes

An End to Negative Peer Pressure

MMP5

An End to Negative Peer Pressure