What is peer pressure? Well, peer pressure is what it’s called when your peers pressure you into doing something. Right now you are probably saying, “DUH!” I know that what I just said wasn’t the best explanation of peer pressure. Let me try again.

First you’ll need to know who your peers are. Your peers are people with equal abilities, qualifications, age, social status, and/or background. At least that’s what the dictionary says. And pressure is when someone is forced to a particular end, again according to the dictionary.
So according to the dictionary it is when your friends or colleagues make you do do something. That’s not wrong. That is the definition of peer pressure. But that isn’t much more help than my original statement. So I’ll give you a common example for teenagers. It will be in a third person point of view.

Sandy was an average girl. She got good grades and lots of friends. One day after school she got a text from her girlfriend Janine. Janine asked her if she wanted to go to a party at Brandon’s house. Brandon was the “coolest” and “hottest” boy in school. Janine said that he asked for Sandy personally.

Sandy being an average teenage girl jumped at the chance to be with her obvious crush. When she got to the party Brandon greeted her. But the weird thing was that he was slurring his words. He was drunk. So was Janine.

They both asked if she wanted a beer. Sandy knew that she shouldn’t and respectfully declined the offer. But they kept asking. Brandon said that she wasn’t as cool as he thought she was. Janine said she was “totes” lame. After she heard this she got drunk. So drunk that she passed out. She ended up having serious liver damage from all she drank.

So this is a common example of peer pressure. Your friends making fun of you or threatening to not like you anymore if you don’t do what they ask. Beware of this pressure. If they won’t be your friends if you don’t drink, smoke, etc. then they aren’t true friends.