Peer Influence

Peer Influence
Peer influence refers to the persuasive act of an individual changing their attitudes, lives or behavior to adapt to the attitudes, lives, and behavior of the influencing group. The most affected categories of groups that are affected are the social groups. The groups may include the trade unions or the political parties. Nevertheless, it is a must for an individual to be part of a group to experience the effects of peer influence, but can sometimes be influenced to act contrary to a group with dislikable characters and norms. Moreover, peer influence is prevalent among the young groups. Peer influence amongst members of this group occurs as a result of taste, appearance, values and ideology. Famous teenage youths are at risk of peer influence as compared to other people. The new teens tend to associate with peer groups who are related to alcohol and drug abuse. For this reason, the new teens tend to attain fewer marks in schools as they spend much time paying attention to their social life instead of studying. In most cases, substance and drug abuse are affected by the young age. Therefore, four responses exist to peer pressure that is ways in which the youngsters get involved in peer influence. The adolescent can disagree with the opinion of the group but just flow with the panel opinion. Secondly, the youths can alter their personal views, to agree with the group views. Thirdly, the children tend to succumb to the board pressure but still maintain personal beliefs.

Lastly, some youth’s agree with the panel opinion even before thinking about the idea. Nevertheless, peer influence can affect the children positively or negatively. Negatively, the adolescent will be affected to join in substance and drug abuse. Undoubtedly, the youth can adhere to the volunteer group in school since the peers have joined.
Zion is a new student at Cambridge University. He is polite and ambitious of him being in University. Moreover, he is spiritually oriented, and few days after joining, he never used to miss church services. On a particular Friday, Zion and his friends decided to have a walk out the Campus. He did not know where exactly they were headed to since he was new in the City, but he trusted his friend Michael. They decided to have a break and take their dinner out, so they went to the restaurant and ordered what they needed. Later on, someone else they did not know joined the table, and they started to communicate. Zion was from a humble family not poor nor wealthy. After some time the person gave them the offer to help him do a project for the University. At first, since Zion did not know this man, he hesitated a bit, but seeing that all his friend had responded positively, he decided to join. They started the project, and out of that simple project; they are now project managers.
My ultimate desire is to be a psychologist and me teacher as well. Studying about peer influence will help me to have a good ground that will give me a hand to help my students who might be affected by peer influence and how to avoid peer influence and depend on their decisions that are best for them. I will as well be in a position to give my students tips on right and proper decision-making criteria. Learning about peer influence will as well help to know how to approach the peer affected people and got the best way of dragging them out of the group. Therefore, my study on peer influence will be of benefit in my future career.
With a proper understanding of peer influence, the teachers will be able to cope up with the high rates of peer influence among students. Moreover, the parents will as well understand when their children are under the influence of peer pressure and how to get them out of the group. Nevertheless, to the children or the students as well, they will get to understand when they are under the influence of their friends and find ways to keep off from the group of friends. To the psychologist understanding, peer influence will help them to understand the main causes of peer influence and plug them out of the society. Furthermore, discussing peer influence helps the community to know how to deal with the young people in the society.
Learning and discussing peer influence has changed the way I think about peer influence. I tend to think that peer influence only affects the young group negatively. Nevertheless, it has to the reality that peer influence can as well change the human behavior and mostly that of adolescent positively. Moreover, I have a new understanding that peer pressure involves or incorporates more than one individual in the process of shaping a student who is already peer-influenced. Psychologist, teachers, and parents play a fundamental role in this discussion.