Peer Pressure: Teaching Teens to Turn a Negative Into a Positive
Peer pressure. Almost every teen faces it at some point. If you want to teach your teen how to effectively cope with it, here are some ways experts suggest that actually work.
What The Science Says
There are a few things that distinguish teens from adults when it comes to making decisions. According to Laurence Steinberg, a researcher at Temple University in Philadelphia, one of those is that teens are drawn into the immediate rewards of a choice. For teenagers, there isn’t really a strong grasp of “long-term consequence.”
Risk assessment is also not very developed in teens. Secondly, teens are still learning to control impulses, think ahead, and resist pressure from others. These skills take time to develop, and they rarely develop perfectly for all teens. They do get better at it, but not until later on in life.
According to Craig, Kelley, & Faultless, an Indianapolis law firm, many teens are injured in car accidents each year. Many of these teens are pressured into doing things they otherwise wouldn’t do.
Everything from drinking and driving, to texting, or answering phone calls when they should be keeping their eyes on the road. Sometimes, the problem is in the vehicle itself. When teens give rides to their friends, they increase the risk of distraction. Some teens will even seek out riskier behavior when their friends are watching them.
But, it’s not just driving.
Teens are pressured into things like sex, drug use, and even cheating on exams.
The Benefits Of Peer Pressure
It’s difficult for teens to resist peer pressure or influence, especially when they’re are being asked or told to do something right now. But, it can also have a positive effect on their life.
While negative influence is certainly a problem, positive influence can help. Teens are just as susceptible to positive pressure as to negative pressure. A teen might join a volunteer project, for example, because of his friends. He or she might strive for good grades because their social circle thinks doing well academically is a good thing.
This positive influence and pressure can actually lead to permanent changes. According to experts, neural connections that are weak or are seldom used are removed during adolescence through something called “synaptic pruning.”
It lets the brain redirect resources toward more active connections. It means teens have the potential to shape their own brain development.
Skill-building activities, like physical, learning, and creative endeavors provide stimulating challenges and can build strong pathways in the brain.
Not every teen knows how to do this. In fact, most don’t. This is where you come in as the parent. You can spend time with your teen, or otherwise direct them toward productive activities. Encourage them to spend more time learning and expanding their mind.
It doesn’t have to be strictly academic either. You could encourage them to take up a sport, or cultivate their musical or artistic side, or teach them physical skills like how to lift weights, jog, ski, or some other physical activity.
Morgan Sharpe has a background in counseling teens. Currently working with schools on alcohol and substance abuse, she believes open and honest talks are key, outlining the positives (or what teens deem as positive) and negatives.
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