Have you ever done this? “Hmmm . . . what should I wear today? I know, I’ll call my friends and ask them.” Or this? “Ooooh, I love this shirt. But what if my friends don’t like it?” Recognise the symptoms? Well then you have peer-pressure-itis.
This disease commonly known as “PPI” is very dangerous, contagious and mostly attacks teenagers between the ages of 14-18. Peer-pressure-itis is when kids about our age are influenced by those around us. It doesn’t take that long for the virus to catch on. It all starts something like this:
Picture yourself, on the first day of high school . . . you’re scared, nervous, worried and just plain lost. You walk into class and look at your classmates. Sure, they don’t look too bad now, but each one of them could be carrying the dangerous PPI bug. So you go, sit with some kids that look nice enough.
They’re nice to you and make you feel welcome.
This is what we call “the PPI drug”. By making you feel happy and comfortable, the virus is already about to attack. The bug is in check until someone uses the opinion card. You’re chatting away with your friends when one of them says something like this “Like oh my gosh Tiffany, I heard that Keagan DOESN’T have the iPhone4. Don’t you think that’s just sad?”
And so the spotlight is on you. Everyone’s eyes are on you. You feel a lump rising in your throat, a bead of sweat forms on your forehead . . . you know exactly what YOUR opinion is, but saying it out may mean losing your friends.
Now, PPI fully attacks. You open your mouth and say: “Oh my gosh Ashley, are you serious? That is totally tragic.” And thus, PPI has taken over your entire system.
From there everything goes downhill . . . you have no identity of your own. The influence of your friends has completely changed the way you think.
Pretty soon you will be so affected that you can be pressured into doing absolutely anything.
This need to fit in and be accepted, regardless of what you really think inside, is how peer-pressure-itis works. But peer-pressure-itis doesn’t just make you lose your identity, but also potentially your life.
Students that dare to stand up against peer-pressure-itis are usually picked on for not, shall we say “carrying the bug”. This forces many students induce horrors such as self-harm or suicide. The need to be just like everyone else is what peer-pressure-itis thrives on, making the disease potentially inescapable.
Of course there are some ways to fight peer-pressure-itis. You can use what is called “PPI immunisation”. Here are some simple steps to fight off this dangerous disease:
Step 1: Keep a clear head. Be true to your own thoughts.
Step 2: Be strong. No one is going to believe your opinions if you don’t.
Step 3: Be unique. The most effective way to kill PPI virus is to not cower down and try to be like everyone else. Be yourself, be unique and others will follow YOUR trend.
Step 4: Stay cool. Don’t let peer-pressure-itis get to your head. Keep calm; if you’re a strong wall, then no one can break you down.
Step 5: Be true to your identity. Do not let others walk all over and leave a mark on YOUR identity. Who cares if you’re half English and half Chinese? Who cares if you still like Winnie the Pooh? If you don’t care, then no one else will either.
Follow these 5 easy steps and I guarantee that you can conquer Peer-pressure-itis once and for all. So get immunised today. And remember. Do not, I repeat do NOT let others influence your identity. Be proud to be you. And PPI will be merely a memory (and just so you know, I still love Winnie The Pooh ; D).
* Abhimati Ravikulan is an Year 10 Student of Avondale College, Auckland.