Each person is an individual. We are autonomous beings that determine our own destiny. This thought about peer pressure determining young persons’ decisions is a false one. This essay shall argue in favor of the idea that peer pressure is a non-factor in the decision making of young people.
Peer pressure does not exist because young people think for themselves. Imagine this. You are a young person deciding whether or not you should do drugs. There are many stakeholders that will influence your decision making, not just your similar aged peers. There are your parents and or guardians who feed you, clothe you and shelter you from harm that would have house rules that say you should not take drugs. You would have religion, the church, the mosque, the temple that forbid drug use. You would have the school, and all of its anti drug messaging. There would also be your peers who would have their views on taking drugs. So it isn’t that peer influence is a heavy pressure that weighs on their decisions. Peer opinion is only one of many opinions that a young person would weigh when considering their options on whether or not they should take drugs. Peer pressure isn’t as strong as persons would like to think.
In summary, peer influence does not dominate young persons’ decision making. Young people take their friends’ opinions into consideration when deciding what to do, but given that there are so many other opinions out there for young people to consider, peer pressure is not the behemoth influencer that persons think it is.
For the opposite view – https://theonlinescholarinstitute.com/2025/03/05/english-a-essay-peer-pressure-is-not-as-strong-as-persons-think-against/
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