The transition from high school to college is not easy. Being away from home for the first time, many students struggle to find their identity and to which group they belong, making them easily susceptible to peer pressure.
"In the group change process, the group loans its collective value system to individual members who lack an appropriate internal value system," say psychologists Thomas F. Tate and Randall L. Copas. If students don't have values prior to entering college, they are likely to adapt those of people around them—positive or negative.
Caving In
While on the journey to self-realization, students may succumb to peer pressure for several reasons.
- Media: what is broadcast to millions on a daily basis (TV, radio, Internet) substantially influences decisions.
- Environment: what is everyone else doing? Several are influenced by the actions of others, and are only concerned with what is popular.
- Fear of rejection and disapproval: many follow the crowd in fear of being seen as an outcast, and feel safest in their comfort zones.
According to Tate and Copas, "Those behaviors occur because of an overwhelming desire to belong."
Individuality: Be a Leader
Everyone has leadership potential, whether it comes naturally or requires more effort. It is important for students to find out what sets them apart from the rest. College is an excellent time for discovery, filled with opportunities for personal growth. Chances are, all their peers are trying to find themselves as well, so self-discovery doesn't have to be a lonely process.
There are several suggestions that can help students reach their full leadership potential.
- Don't be afraid to leave your comfort zone. If someone is truly your friend, they will respect your decision—even if it disagrees with theirs.
- There is nothing wrong with being a part of a group, as long as you don't lose yourself in the process.
- Negative decisions of others don't have to define who you are, if you choose not to let them.
- Be mindful of which crowds you keep, as they are a reflection of you. As the saying goes, "You are who you associate with."
Poet Robert Frost says it best, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference" (18-20).
Which road will you take?
Sources
- Tate, Thomas F., and Copas, Randall L. (2010). Peer pressure and the group process: building cultures of concern. Reclaiming Children & Youth, 19(1), 12-16.
- Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." Mountain Interval. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1920.
