Develpmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology

In researching the developmental psychology , it is easy to relate to most , if not all , of what we have been studying . In most of the issues that are encountered during development , I think that most everyone , me included , can relate to the issue of peer pressure

Most school aged children have to deal with , at some point , peer pressure . According to the Encyclopedia of Children ‘s health at enotes .com , young children and teens alike are faced with peer pressure Although the intensity of peer pressure can differ depending on [banner_entry_middle]

grade level , it can still be very frustrating for a child . While it may not appear to be as threatening in kindergarten when everyone is dared to eat a blade of grass , it can soon become destructive when peer pressure is in middle or high school . Students are offered drugs , alcohol and condoms on a regular basis and must constantly make decisions that could save or take their lives

For me , peer pressure was definitely prevalent in high school , but it was not as hard for me . This , I believe , is due to the home , or environment , that I grew up in . I was always taught to be an individual and to be my own person . My group of friends always seemed to like me for me . We were not a certain clique or group , so we never really had a label to try to live up to or anyone to impress , except for living up to our own potentials

My parents also let me have a lot of choices , which made me feel more confident in myself . It also helped me be more thoughtful in the choices that I made . Drugs were not a temptation for me , because I always felt like my life was pretty good . I did not need anything my classmates offered to make me feel any better than I already did

According to Child Development ‘ by Kathryn Caldwell , however , peer pressure is not always a negative thing . Generally , peer group membership , even more than close friendship , promotes higher grades and pro-social behavior and eases distress and antisocial behavior ‘ said Caldwell (page 68

Some research for peer pressure is done by polling pre-teens and teens about how they deal with peer pressure and what they feel most pressured to do . Colin Allen , reporter for Psychology Today ‘ wrote in his article , Peer Pressure and Teen Sex ‘ that when it comes to being pressure to have sex , many boys feel like they are pressure more than girls . Research shows that many boys , who do not feel ready to have sex do have sex because they feel rejected by their male friends . A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation ( www .kff .org , shows that kids are being pressured at a much younger age than they used to be and may possibly need to be educated on sex and drugs at a younger age

I do agree with those who have concluded that peer pressure can be a… [banner_entry_footer]