2. What is it?
The feeling that someone your own age is pushing you toward making a certain choice, good or bad.
Example: A friend begs to borrow something you don’t want to give up

3. Peer pressure isn’t all bad
Peer pressure isn’t all bad. You and your friends can pressure each other into some things that will improve your health and social life and make you feel good about your decisions, or help you to avoid something bad
Good things friends can pressure each other to do:
~be honest
~respect others
~work hard
~resist negative peer pressure

4. Chances are you probably have given into peer pressure at some time
Chances are you probably have given into peer pressure at some time. How did it make you feel?
Why is it so hard to avoid peer pressure?

5. Want to be accepted and liked
Afraid of being rejected by others
Don’t want to lose a friend
Want to seem grown up
Don’t want to be made fun of
Don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings
Don’t know how to get out of the situation

6. Types of Peer Pressure Spoken Unspoken
A friend says something directly to you that puts a lot of pressure on you and makes it hard to say no
Unspoken
You might think you are supposed to act or dress a certain way because it seems like everyone else is doing it or it is the cool thing to do. You feel pressure even though nobody has said anything to you about it

7. Peer Pressure Bag of Tricks
Things friends will do to try to pressure you
Spoken
*Rejection-threatening to end a friendship
~”Who needs you as a friend anyway”
~”I’m not going to be your friend anymore if you don’t”
*Put Downs-insulting or calling a person names to make them feel bad
~”You’re never any fun”
~”You’re such a baby”
~”You’re so uncool”

8. *Reasoning- telling a person reasons why they should try something or why it would be ok if they did
~”It won’t hurt you”
~”Your parents will never find out”
~”You’ll have more fun”
Unspoken
This is something you feel without anyone saying anything to you. You feel unspoken pressure if you want to do the same things others are doing
~A group of popular kids decide to get the same backpack and you want one too even if you don’t really like it

9. Ways to Resist
Spoken
~say no over and over
~walk away
~change the subject
~ignore the person or situation
~suggest an alternative
~say you’re not allowed
~give a reason why you can’t
~go and do something else or hang out with someone else
~stand up for others
Unspoken
harder to resist because instead of standing up to friends, you’re standing up to how you feel inside