Easing Adolescent Peer Pressure

Nearly everyone can remember a time when peer pressure - to smoke, use drugs or just follow the crowd - was a painful and tempting part of life.

"Peer pressure essentially is about "fitting in," and the ability to fit in with one's peers involves different types of pressure at different ages," said Dr. Marcia Laviage, a clinical psychologist in the Learning Support Center at Texas Children's Hospital. "Younger children are concerned with being accepted by their own gender group and by sharing the same interests such as keeping up with current music and movies."

"In adolescence, peer pressure expands to focus on being accepted by same-sex peers and members of the opposite sex," said Dr. Liza Bonin, a clinical psychologist who also works in the Texas Children's Learning Support Center. "The pressure to wear nice clothes and be trendy continues as new pressures are added, such as the temptation to smoke, use alcohol and drugs, and experiment with sex."

Although peer pressure is not a new phenomenon, specialists at Texas Children's agree that today's young people feel more pressure to conform than previous generations. Specialists cite the heavy influence of media - from suggestive music videos to magazines that tout thinness and beauty - as a major contributor to peer pressure.

"From music videos to teen magazines to the rise of supermodels, young people are more influenced than ever about clothing and body image," Dr. Laviage said.

As pressures mount on young people, Dr. Bonin stresses that parents can make a profound impact on their children by encouraging self-confidence and individuality. The adolescent psychologists offer the following tips for parents seeking ways to help their children handle peer pressure:

• Don't criticize your child's friends and peers, or your child will feel they can't discuss problems with you. Listen attentively and reserve judgment.
  
  
• Recognize that peer pressure is internal as well as external. Adolescents are self-conscious and concerned about what others think of them. Many times, these internal pressures are more powerful than external pressures.
  
  
• Empathize with your child and show that you know how it feels to want to be accepted by others.
  
  
• Don't solve your child's problems. Help them develop problem-solving skills so they can discover their own solutions.
  
  
• Work to keep the parent-child relationship strong. Your child will be more likely to turn to you with problems and value your opinions if the relationship is solid.

The preteen and adolescent years are very difficult, as young people struggle to make the move from child to young adult," Dr. Laviage said. "It's a trying time, but it's also an opportunity to develop a positive, open relationship with your child that will help him or her make a successful transition to adulthood."

For more information on adolescent issues or the Learning Support Center at Texas Children's Hospital, call (832) 824-3700 or visit the Web site at http://www.texaschildrenshospital.org.

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/08_15_01/page_19.html