Peer Pressure can mould a students life.

(disagree)

"Peer Pressure is an influence that creates or the desire for change." Most students
agree that they will follow a peer's decision rather than their parents' or the authority's. Peers
are more influential in a student's life and tend to have more power than parents. Peer
pressure has always been present and will also always be present. Peer pressure can be
defined as a social pressure put on one of the members in a group of friends to behave, think
and act to ways that are acceptable in their respective group. Everything in this world has its
pros and cons and so does peer pressure. In many cases, mostly students gain negatives
effects more than the positive ones. Hence, peer pressure brings negative effects on students
as it cultivates bad habits, instils bad decision-making and leads to loss of identity in a
students life.

Bad habits are cultivated among students who experienced peer pressure. Students are
likely to adopt a certain kind of lifestyle when under immense pressure. Some people are
very much fortunate to live a luxurious lifestyle. Among a group of friends, there must be at
least one of the members that live an ordinary lifestyle. In the case of peer pressure, the
unfortunates would go to the extent where they are willing to sacrifice just to keep up with
the rest of the group members. Besides that, peer pressure is the culprit in creating drug
addicts. Students sometimes feel pressured and tensed due to many factors. Unlucky for those
who befriended people who are already involved in drug abuse, these addicts would
encourage them to release their stress by getting high. Other than that, students are
occasionally forced to do something against their will. For instance, most of the group
members smoke. In order to remain in the clique, those who dont smoke feel obligated to
smoke too which is an act that is against their will. Therefore, students who experienced peer
pressure cultivate bad habits among themselves.

According to Dr. B. J. Casey from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University,
students are very quick and accurate in making judgments and decisions on their own and in
situations where they have time to think. However, when they have to make decisions in the
heat of the moment or in social situations, their decisions are often influenced by external
factors like peers. In a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), student
volunteers played a video driving game, either alone or with friends watching. What the
researchers discovered was that the number of risks students took in the driving game more
than doubled when their friends were watching as compared to when the students played the
game alone. This outcome indicates that students may find it more difficult to control
impulsive or risky behaviors when their friends are around, or in situations that are
emotionally charged.

Peer pressure in students develops the aspect of identity loss. Identity loss is
developed by a way of behaving in a certain manner for the sake of wanting to belong or fit
in a given set up. In that case an individual behaves in a different way that makes identity
loss. The peer pressure kills the individuality of most people. The society should be
responsible for this simply because the future lies in the hands of the student hence while left
to behave the way they want, they will be lost and have no direction they are moving.

In conclusion, I think that peer pressure is a two-edged sword. It is depend by the way
you dealing with it. Every person play complementary roles to help the students dealing with
peer pressure.