Peer pressure is the influence and power one’s peer group has in order to encourage or persuade a person to change their attitudes, their thinking and belief systems, their values, and even their deep inner feelings in order to conform to the group norm or ethic. It is an incredibly powerful force. There are reports of people asserting that they actually “surrendered” themselves to the group in order to be liked, approved of, and accepted. Very few of us have the wherewithal and/or courage to stand alone. Peers impact taste, likes/dislikes, one’s thinking and emotions, one’s values and beliefs, and even our spending habits!

Renown psychologist Stanley Milgram ingeniously demonstrated in novel experimental paradigms, conducted at Yale in the 1960s, how vulnerable average young people are to authoritarian attitudes and peer pressure. A human being’s capacity to demonstrate moral courage is the exception, not the rule.

Well functioning peer groups can contribute loyalty, friendship, emotional support, warmth and affection, guidance, inspiration, and positive structure to a young person’s life. And impact their choices in healthy ways. We are all truly known by the company we keep!