Elijah Wells
Contributing Writer
The impact of peer pressure is an aspect of life experienced by many college students throughout the world. However, peer pressure can either be beneficial or detrimental to these students’ academic performance, depending on the context of the situation.
“I think that peer pressure is unfortunately something that happens to everyone. Even though I have faced a lot of it in my life, I always hold my personal ideologies close,” said Aliyah Williams, a junior English major.
Peer pressure is something that can either make or break a student. Considering the negative aspects of the cause, it can make students partake in activities they may not want to be involved in due to the influence of their friends or family.
These activities can vary from participating in criminal activity, bullying gestures, consuming drugs and more. Insights derived from an article by Anna Freud, titled: Mentally Health Schools, indicate that negative peer pressure is very harmful to a student’s well-being. It can cause students to experience depression, increased anxiety, increased stress levels and sleep issues.
These drawbacks can cause a student’s academic performance to decline thinking about the limited focus and motivation they may have to complete assignments or report to class, and it can cause serious life concerns for students as depression can lead to self-harm and other life-threatening actions.
Usually, peer pressure has a negative connotation from the perspective of many individuals; however, consider the positive aspects surrounding the cause. Think about the instances of being surrounded by individuals who pressure you to be more productive.
Roy T. Bennett, an American entrepreneur and motivational speaker said this famous quote, “If you want to be successful, surround yourself with people who are more successful than you.”
Students who surround themselves with hard-working people will usually be motivated to make the right decisions by their peers. This motivation can derive from verbal interaction between the student and their peers, or they can view their peers’ positive actions and character as an example to improve themselves for the better.
In many ways, peer pressure has been the determining factor in improving a student’s overall productivity and/or life.
Brian Akonu, communications major and ESU Student Government Association president shared his insight and experiences involving peer pressure. In the past, his peers pressured him to smoke, and he never fell victim to doing an activity he didn’t want to participate in. This experience made him realize you don’t need to be associated with these substances to be a well-rounded human being.
“You can still be cool without indulging in substances,” he said. He also advises upcoming college students involving the cause. “Remain true to your values and morals. Our campus is a space for you to be yourself,” he said. Akonu is an example of how you can be confident and secure with yourself without needing a placebo.
In general, every student will experience a form of peer pressure within their college journey.
“I think everyone should know what values they think are really important to them, because then when you face peer pressure it is easy to know when to set boundaries,” Williams said.
During your college journey, make sure you are making the right decisions, and be your own person. If your peers are pressuring you to participate in negative activities, no one is stopping you from telling them no. Find the right people who are genuine and will pressure you to make good decisions. Don’t settle for less.
