Peer Pressure

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

People sometimes do idiotic or bad things because of something called peer pressure.

• What is peer pressure?

It's the feeling that someone is pushing you to make a certain choice or behave a certain way.

Peer pressure can be good or bad.

Good Peer Pressure

Here are some examples of good peer pressure.

• So, when is peer pressure bad?

Bad Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is bad when you do something that you know is wrong or unwise to go along with the crowd.

The crowd can be several people or just one. It's a group that you want to belong to, even if it's just a friendship with one other person.

Here are some examples of bad peer pressure.

This lesson will focus on bad peer pressure.

You'll learn how to spot it, why it works, and how to fight against it!

How to Spot Bad Peer Pressure

Bad peer pressure can either be spoken or unspoken.

Spoken pressure is when a person asks you to do something or says things to you that push you toward a bad choice.

So, if your friends wanted you to dislike someone you've never met, they might say the following.

"She's a terrible, mean person. Don't ever talk to her!"

"If you talk to her, I won't be your friend anymore!"

"Anyone who's friends with her must be foolish!"

Unspoken pressure is when you feel pressured to do something because you see others doing it, even though they don't say anything to you.

So at the party where everyone is stuffing themselves with sweets, they may not say anything to you, but some kids may do the following.

Look at you like you're strange because you're not doing the same as them.

Leave you out of the group when they join up to talk or play a game.

The funny thing is, a lot of those kids may not even want to eat all those sweets, but they do it because they want to fit in.

Why Peer Pressure Works

• Why does peer pressure work?
• Why do people do things they know are wrong or idiotic just because other people are doing them?

The answer is: our brains are wired that way. We're made to want to be part of a group and to learn from what other people know.

But that becomes a big problem when we ignore what we know!

Watch what happens when students are asked a simple question and see their peers give the wrong answer.

Now think again about "The Emperor's New Clothes."

Everyone knew that the emperor had nothing on. However, because they thought that everyone else saw the clothes and didn't want to look dumb, they didn't say anything!

Once the little boy said what everyone knew was true, they realized how idiotic they were NOT to say anything before!

Speak Up!

So, speaking up is the key to overcoming bad peer pressure! Say what you know is true!

Tell what you think, respectfully and politely. Don't tell your friends that they're wrong or dumb; just suggest that your way of looking at things might be the right one!

So to that friend who doesn't want you to speak to the other girl, you could say the following.

"I don't know. I've never spoken to her, so I can't tell if she's mean and terrible. Maybe I could talk to her now and find out."

And to the boys who are stuffing themselves with sweets, you could say the following.

"I don't know, but sometimes people get sick from eating too many sweets, and I don't want to be sick tomorrow. Look, there's a bowl of fruit. Let's try some of those strawberries and grapes!"

Now, you try one.

• What could you say to a friend who wants you to watch a movie that your parents wouldn't let you watch?

To Sum Up, Here Are Some Tips on How to Handle Peer Pressure.

1. Know that everyone's brain is wired to want to be accepted by the group and learn from them.

2. Know that sometimes the group can be wrong and push you toward a wrong decision.
3. Always speak up politely, when you disagree with the people who are putting pressure on you.
4. Suggest something else that you can do instead!

Watch the following video for additional tips on how to stand up to peer pressure.

Write in your journal about when you experienced peer pressure.

• What happened?
• How did you feel?
• Was it positive or negative peer pressure?
• Was it spoken or unspoken pressure?
• What did you do in that situation?
• What have you learned that may have helped?

Then, move to the Got It? section to see how much you've learned. You'll also get to create some great responses to a few peer-pressure situations!