To As The Wonder Years Essay, Research Paper
????????? ?Go on.? ?Everybody?s doing
it.? ?It?s only one drink.? ?You?re such a loser.? ????????? I didn?t know what to do. All these
voices were repeating themselves over and over in my head. I didn?t want to
give into them because I knew what I was doing was wrong. I didn?t want
everyone to think I was scared but what if my parents found out. Why was I
here? Are these people really my friends if they are really doing this to me?
These were the vital questions that I didn?t know the answers to. I knew in my
heart it was wrong but I gave in. ????????? This is usually the typical outcome of
a scene like this. It is called peer pressure. It can be disguised in many
different forms. In this essay I am going to look at different ways in which
teenagers can be influenced by peer pressure. ????????? Many teenagers experiment with
cigarettes, drugs or alcohol. It is likely that they take their first
cigarette, drink or drug because of pressure from peers or friends. ????????? The influence of friends who smoke is
the main reason teenagers start, although you are also more likely to start if
your parents do. Cigarettes, like alcohol, are an acquired taste but over eight
per cent of people who smoke in their teens become permanently hooked. ????????? Often adolescents drink to feel less
uncomfortable and more relaxed with friends and peers and because they are
encouraged to do so by other teenagers. Regular excessive drinking can lead to
poor school work, social and emotional problems, the use of other drugs and
sometimes even suicide, ????????? ?The main difference between alcohol or cigarettes and other drugs
is that once you are over a certain age you can legally buy alcohol and
cigarettes. The use of cannabis, Ecstasy, Heroin, Cocaine, LSD and amphetamines
is illegal at any age. Although drugs are easy to get hold of nowadays, and
many people think they should be legalised, taking them involves breaking the
law. If you are caught, you might be prosecuted. If you are found in possession
of more than a small quantity, you risk more serious charges of ?possession
with intent to supply?, or dealing. ????????? Another issue that teenagers are faced
with and usually try to avoid is crime. People aged between ten and twenty-one
commit half of all crimes. Ninety per cent of these involve breaking into
buildings, theft of property or other vandalism. Most people get involved in
crimes such as shoplifting, joyriding, vandalism or arson just for the thrill
of getting away with it. Teenagers often steal things they don?t even want or
need. Usually these crimes are committed without thought or planning, and
repeated only occasionally for a period of a few months, until the excitement
begins to wear off. For some teenagers shoplifting or stealing cars begins as a
bit of fun but it can get out of hand and crime can become a habit. Teenage boys
are at more risk of getting into trouble than girls, however the amount of ?girl
gangs? committing crimes is becoming more and more common. In 1957 girls
accounted for only one crime in eleven. These days girls commit more than one
in four of all juvenile crimes. Friends often encourage each other to go much
further than anyone would alone; when you are in a crowd, it is easier to get
carried away. ????????? Breaking the law might be common
amongst adolescents, but it is certainly not without risk. People get caught! If
you do commit crime, it is likely that you will get in trouble with the police sooner
or later. This can cause trouble when applying for a job or a university and
can affect your chances of getting in. ????????? If the risks are so high, then why do
people do it? Perhaps it is because they are bored or short of money but it is
more likely that it is done just for the thrill of getting away with it. Teenagers
sometimes think of it as a way of testing how much you can get away with. If it
is found to be addictive, particularly if tempted to do it alone, it may be a
sign of depression or unhappiness. ????????? Some adolescents especially females
become so concerned about weight control that they take drastic and dangerous
measures to remain thin. Some overeat and then force themselves to vomit to
avoid gaining weight. This pattern is associated with an eating disorder called
bulimia. Another eating disorder is called anorexia nervosa. This is when young
women actually starve themselves to keep their weight down. Adolescents with
eating disorders have an extremely disturbed body image. They see themselves as
?fat? when they are really underweight. Bulimia ????? and anorexia nervosa are rare before the age of ten. Girls often
turn to bulimia and anorexia nervosa because they believe it will make them
happier, more successful and more popular. ????????? Topics that have been mentioned to try
to explain why young people turn to eating disorders include social pressure on
girls to be slim, stress effects on the functioning of brain centres controlling
eating, expression of underlying personality disorder or a reaction to a
conflict-ridden family situation. ????????? Treatment given to anorexia nervosa or
bulimia includes counselling, psychotherapy or drugs. The main symptoms linked with
eating disorders are severe weight loss, low blood pressure and a slow heart
beat. Many anorexics isolate themselves. ????????? Many teenagers, at some stage in their
lives, come across the problem of bullying. This is
fault finding and criticism of a trivial nature. Most bullying is traceable to
toe person ? male or female. Bullying is not a gender issue. Each year between
ten and twelve children kill themselves in the UK because they are being
bullied at school and no one in authority is doing anything to tackle the
bullying. Failure by a school to implement an effective and active
anti-bullying policy in a breech in duty of care. ????????? ?He who passively accepts evil is as
much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate It.? ? Martin Luther King. Here
is the bully?s point of view ? ????????? I have never actually set out to bully
someone myself. It usually comes about when someone is being annoyed and
provides an amusing reaction that I begin to join in. at the time you do not
see it as bullying, although you may have doubts later. I do not think there is
anyone at school who has not bullied someone in one way or another. A victim?s
point of view ? ????????? When I was at primary school I got
picked on non-stop for two years. No one talked to me. I hadn?t done anything
to get blamed for; I still do not know the reason I got picked on. I wasn?t wealthier
or poorer or a different race. ????????? Friends and peers can place a lot of
importance on having a girlfriend or boyfriend. It?s tough if you are the only
one in your group without a partner, especially when dating is often seen as a
way of confirming your attractiveness to yourself and those around you. Some people
are just not interested in having a relationship until they are older; others
might not want, or be allowed, to have a boyfriend or girlfriend for religious
or cultural reasons. Whatever your reasons are for not dating, you might find
that your peers tease or put pressure on you. Some young people believe that
having a sexual relationship will make them more grown up. However, maturity is
not about when you start having sex. It is about waiting for the right time and
the right person, and making sure it does not all end in tears. ????????? Some people end up having sex not
because it is what they really want, but because they feel unable to resist
pressure from their partners. People sometimes confuse sex with affection and
hope that agreeing to sex will lead to more commitment from their partner, or
will make them feel loved. Unfortunately this is not always the case. ????????? Peer pressure can often mean that your
needs and wishes are ignored, and when that happens life can become more
difficult to cope with. Sometimes it can lead to depression. Depression can
make people feel bad-tempered, moody and worried, and they may develop other
symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches. Some sufferers feel short of energy
and want to sleep all the time; others will have difficulty in sleeping and
become very tired. Tiredness, lack of interest and difficulty in concentrating
can affect schoolwork. Depressed people often lose interest in hobbies and activities
and feel cut off from the people around them. They feel worthless and believe
they have no power to change the situation they are in. some young people turn
to drug or alcohol abuse, sleeping around, crime, skipping school or running
away from home. These can all be ways of distracting themselves from their
feelings. ????????? Depression has to be taken seriously
and sufferers need to seek immediate help. Counselling, psychotherapy or
sometimes medication can make recovery quicker and easier. ????????? An issue that applies to nearly all of
us is whether to wear your schoolbag on one shoulder or two. The results of a
survey which I carried out with ten fourth year pupils states that eight out of
ten people wear their schoolbag on one shoulder. Six of these people were
influenced by peers. Recent research shows that wearing your schoolbag on one
shoulder can be damaging to your spine, so why do it? Results of my survey ?(all answers are out of ten) ? Ten people thought that teenagers are put
under unnecessary stress and pressure from parents and teachers at school. ? Reasons for this were ? ?coursework?, ?homework?,
?exams?, ?to be a model child?, ?to do well?, ?not to do stupid things?. ? Eight people said that they have never been
pressurised into smoking, drinking or taking drugs. The remaining two said that
they have. Their friends influenced them. ? Seven people have tried smoking, nine have
tried drinking and two have tried drugs. ? Reasons for trying the above were ? ?to see
what it was like?, ?so they wouldn?t get laughed at?, ?because they were
depressed?, ?why not?? Seven
people said that they had pressurised someone into doing something. ????????? At
adolescence, peer relations expand to occupy a particularly central role in a
young person?s life. New types and levels of peer relationships emerge. Peers
typically replace the family as the centre of a young person?s socialising and
leisure activities. Teenagers have multiple peer relationships, and they
confront multiple ?peer cultures? that have remarkably different normals and
value systems. The adult perception of peers as having one culture or a
dangerous influence, is inaccurate. More often than not, peers reinforce family
values, but they have the potential to encourage problem behaviours as well.
Although the negative peer influence is over-emphasised, more can be done to
help teenagers experience the family and the peer group as mutually
constructive environments. ?????????