When most people think about peer pressure, they think about illegal activities. While that is a common form of peer pressure, it is not the only one, and that needs to be recognized.

Peer pressure is defined as, “influence from members of one’s peer group.” This is very vague, as there are multiple forms of peer pressure that exist, and are ignored. One certain aspect of this would be body conditions. Many people are pressured into doing bad things to their bodies, in order to not be neglected for their body. One example would be not eating, just to get approval from their peers. This is very negative, because it shows that people are made to believe that they are less important than others because their bodies are not as ideal as others. This pessimism is a terrible thing and is leading to a lot of peer pressure worldwide to “fix” their bodies.

Peer pressure also deals with illegal activities, which it is most commonly associated with. These activities include drinking and smoking, both of which are, in no way, at all beneficial for society. This is not the most common type of peer pressure, but it is the most publicized and recognized, due to its negative impact and importance.

Peer pressure also exists in extra curriculum. There is a constant pressure, from parents and friends, to compete in sports. Parents want their children to stay active, causing them to pressure their kids into sports, whereas kids are pressure by other students into doing things they do not prefer to do, just to be more accepted and popular.

Peer pressure exists everywhere, and needs to be seen as more than just drinking and smoking, because all forms of peer pressure are just as bad as that.