Lesson 2.2
Peer
Pressure
By Carone
Fitness
Peer Pressure
Peer Pressure
Peers are people who are
your age.
Peer pressure is the
influence people your own
age have over how you
think or feel and what you
say or do.
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Peer Pressure
Positive Peer Pressure
Sometimes peer pressure
has a positive effect on you.
Peer Pressure
Positive Peer Pressure
In Tyson’s high school, the basketball
team befriended a sophomore with
Down’s syndrome, named Jimmy.
The team made Jimmy their manager.
Tyson used to feel awkward around
Jimmy, but after watching the team
members interact with him, Tyson
decided to get to know him, too.
Eventually, Tyson and Jimmy became
great friends.
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Peer Pressure
Negative Peer Pressure
Peer pressure can also have
a negative influence on your
behavior, thoughts, and
beliefs. Negative peer
pressure can lead to negative
consequences or persuade
you to go against your values.
Peer Pressure
Negative Peer Pressure
Stacie first began smoking
because she wanted to fit in
with a clique. The other girls
in the clique decided to start
smoking because they heard
it made you lose weight.
Smoking was against
Stacie’s personal values,
and she knew it had a lot of
negative health
consequences. However,
she wanted to be accepted,
so she began smoking as
well.
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Peer Pressure
Negative Peer Pressure
How would you have
responded if you were
Stacie? Responding to
negative peer pressure can
be a challenging thing,
especially if it is coming from
a friend. You may be
worried about hurting your
friend’s feelings, appearing
“uncool,” or losing a
friendship.
Peer Pressure
Negative Peer Pressure
There are three ways to
respond to negative peer
pressure. You can be:
Passive
Aggressive
Assertive
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Peer Pressure
Passive
Passive means that you give in to the
negative peer pressure without standing
up for your own rights, values, and
needs. When you respond passively,
you not only disrespect yourself, but you
also lose the respect of others because
they will see you as a pushover.
Peer Pressure
Aggressive
Aggressive means that you respond to
negative peer pressure by becoming
hostile, forceful, or violent. When you
use an aggressive approach to deal with
negative peer pressure, you may believe
that you will be seen as powerful.
However, in the long run, people will
either avoid you or fight back, both of
which can hurt you emotionally and
physically.
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Peer Pressure
Assertive
Assertive means that you respond to
negative peer pressure by standing up
for your own rights, values, and needs
in a firm, positive way. Being assertive
shows respect for yourself and for
others.
Peer Pressure
Refusal Skills
Learning to respond to peer
pressure in an assertive way
may not come naturally to
you. Knowing how to say “no”
in an assertive way is
considered a skill that can be
learned and practiced.
Refusal skills are techniques
that help an individual to say
“no” effectively in an assertive
way.
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Peer Pressure
Refusal Skills
Refusal skills consist of a three-step
process.
1) State your position simply but firmly.
2) Suggest alternatives to the behavior
being proposed.
3) Back up your words with your
actions.
Peer Pressure
Refusal Skills
Stacie could have used these refusal
skills in response to her friends starting
smoking.
1) State your position simply but firmly.
Stacie: “No. Not only is smoking
unhealthy, but it goes against my
values.”
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Peer Pressure
Refusal Skills
2) Suggest alternatives to the behavior
being proposed.
Stacie: “To lose weight we could join the
local YMCA.”
Peer Pressure
Refusal Skills
3) Back up your words with
your actions.
Then if Stacie’s friends
decide to still try smoking,
she goes home early.
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Presented
By Carone
Fitness
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