Resisting Peer Pressure

Group Pressure Think of the last time you felt pressured by a group to do something that you did not want to do. With your situation in mind, turn to page 64 in your LIfeSkills book and complete worksheet 19.

Points to Make Sometimes it’s hard when you’re with a group of people to stand up for what you believe in. But if you do, you’ll feel better about yourself and others will respect you more for it. In group situations friends should stand up for each other and support each other’s choices Peer pressure can also be used for positive choice and/or activities

Persuasive Tactics Page 63 Flattery: Telling a person something nice about himself/herself. Sally asks Patti whether she can borrow her sweater, not knowing that Patti already planned on wearing the same sweater to a party. Patti told Sally that she ought to wear something else since she has such a great figure. Logical/Factual Approach: Giving scientific proof or well-known reasons. A guy goes into a store with his friend to buy a discontinued model of a computer. His friend tries to get him not to buy it because of the problems he may have, according to a recent consumer magazine report. Appeal to Authority: Suggesting that a respected person behaves in a certain way or has a particular point of view. Two students are smoking in the schoolyard before classes behind. The bell rings. Once student says to the other “ we better get inside before the Dean catches us/” Promise of Popularity: Suggesting you will be well liked if you do something. A girl is taking her cousin to a party. Her cousin has just moved to town. As they reach the party, the girls tells her cousin to be sure to drink if he wants people to like him Promise of reward or punishment: Suggesting if you behave in a certain way you will be rewarded (or Punished). Right before she’s about to go out with her friends, a mother tells her daughter she has to baby sit for her youngest brother. The mother says that if her daughter stays home this time and babysits, she can stay out an extra hour the next night. Persistence (nagging): continual request to do something. A guy tries to convince a friend to go to the movies with him that night. The guy continues to repeat “Please go to the movies with me, “ “come on let’s go,” “It would be really great if you went to the movies with me tonight. Guilt: making someone feel badly. A student tries to convince a classmate to let him cheat from her paper on a test. The student reminds the classmate of the time he let her copy his homework.

Complete page 64 and 65- Dealing with Peer Pressure

Resisting Persuasion Turn to a partner, discuss how you feel when you agree to do something you really don’t want to do. When someone tries to persuade you to do something it is important to make a decision based on what’s important to you. Questions to Ask yourself Why is the person trying to persuade me? What does that person get out of making me do what he or she asks? What will I get out of agreeing to do what he or she wants me to do? Is what the other person wants consistent with what is important to me? How credible(true) is any factual or scientific appeal which is used?

Points to Make By carefully thinking about these questions, you will be less likely to be influenced by others to do things that you don’t want to do If an important decision is involved, you can also use the 3 C’s decision making method

Saying “NO” to Offers to Smoke, Drink or Use Drugs As you get older you will face situations in which you will experience peer pressure to use cigarettes, alcohol, or other drugs. How could we say “NO” Turn to a different partner and answer the following questions Discussion Questions Which way to say “NO” would work best in real life? Which way of saying “NO” will allow you to still be friends with a person you are saying “NO” to Why is it important to say “NO” to certain situations

Vocabulary Review Persuade- to cause to do something especially by reasoning, urging, to convince Tactic- Any methods used to gain something Persistence- Constantly repeated; continued, to keep trying

Ways of Saying “NO” Turn to page 67 in your book Appendix 1: Practice situations Page 13:13

Points to Make There are many different ways of say no. Saying “no” to drugs uses the same techniques as saying “no” to anything else. Different people say no in different ways, in their own style. The way you say “no” may not be the same way your friends say “no” Sometimes you might have to say “no” more than once or in a different way for people to accept your answer

Resisiting Direct Pressures Sometimes you may encounter direct pressure to smoke, drink, or take drugs from older kids or even your own friends. Can you think of some lines that people may use to pressure them to smoke, drink or use drugs? Com up with “no” responses for each of the lines, record on page 67

Resisting Peer Pressure: Skill Application Complete page 69, Action Plans for Resisting Peer Pressure (Page 69) If you do not finish, it’s homework…