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33 - 37
Notes
Vocabulary
- Peer pressure - a feeling that you should do something because that is what your friends want
- Direct pressure - the pressure that results from someone who tries to convince you to do something you normally wouldn’t do
- Indirect pressure - The pressure that results from being swayed to do something because people you look up to are doing it
- Refusal skill a strategy to avoid doing something you don’t want to do
Peer pressure
Everything around you can and will influence you. These influences can be positive or negative. This is peer pressure.
Positive and Negative Influences
Having a positive role model and being influenced by them can be a good thing. E.g. being influenced to join a team to spend time with them, in turn benefitting your health because of your physical activity.
On the contrary, you can be spending time with negative role models and being negatively influenced by those people. This can negatively affect your health, e.g. being pressured to consume illicit drugs and or alcohol.
Types of Pressure
Direct Pressure
| Pressure | Example |
|---|---|
| Teasing | Teased for being out of style |
| Persuasion | Convinced to go to party because of “cool people” being there |
| Explanations | Doctor says that risk of heart disease increases if you do not exersize |
| Put-downs | Called a wimp to try and get you to do something |
| Threats | Getting threatened that something will happen if something else happens |
| Bribery | Parents tell you for every A on your report card you get $10. |
Indirect Pressure
| Pressure | Example |
|---|---|
| TV | You start using phrases from your favorite TV show |
| Radio | Song lyrics influence your behavior |
| Advertising | You consume a product because of the advertisement |
| Role models | You want to act like a certain person |
| Popular people | You want to look like a certain person |
| Famous people | You try and match a famous person’s style |
Refusal skills
A strategy to try and avoid a certain thing. You can always rely on your parents to back you up, e.g. “My parent’s don’t want me here.”