Peer Pressure

What is power? The definition of power, in my opinion, is the capability of getting someone to do something you wish. The concept of power is exemplified in the examination of peer pressure. To persuade an individual to do something that would normally go against their will is power. Peer pressure is abundant in our society. Peer pressure can be examined in the early stages of many children’s lives. I have personally witnessed peer pressure as early as kindergarten, where another student was pressured by another to go against their will and not answer any more questions because it wasn’t “cool”. The range of peer pressure stretches almost as far as those who are affected by it. Peer pressure can be as trivial as my example from kindergarten and can also be as consequential as a homicide that resulted in a young teen urged by his peers to commit murder. In addition peer pressure holds no bias in whom it targets regardless of ethnicity, religion, etc. When studying peer pressure it is important to consider the variable of an individual’s mental health/strength. Mental health does not go to say, if you are smart, then you are mentally healthy, as many intelligent individuals fall prey to the several pressures they face constantly. Instead mental health can be described as the mental state of a being under certain trialing conditions. Meaning how well an individual can think as he/she normally would under pressure-the more pressure an individual is able to with stand, the stronger they are mentally. Therefore a person who is able to handle the various pressures of everyday life and maintain well mental health, is more likely able to reject the pressure to do something he/she may not be willing to do applied by their peer[s]. However, a person that would normally fold under pressure will most likely be more susceptible to fall victim to peer pressure. Confidence and positive self-esteem are essential for individual to avoid/reject peer pressure as they are key components for strong mental health. When a person feels good about themselves, they are more than likely not going to do certain things they are pressured to do by their peers because they do not feel the need to fit in with/belong to a certain group as they are happy with where they are in life and with whom they are with in life. The fact that someone is able to reject a person from applying pressure on them is absorbing the power from that individual and using it against them to disregard peer pressure. True power does not reside in the definition of the word, the implication of true power results in how that word is applied.