About peer pressure
Ever since the beginning of time and probably for eternity, mankind not only used their intelligence to thrive forward, but also vigilantly used it to observe what their fellow beings did. Right from the times of Adam and Eve, we can find avid exemplifications of this perpetual truth. In fact, if we look at it close enough, we’ll find that not only human beings but animals or any other living creatures on this planet with lesser intelligence quotients were also succumbed to this phenomenon.
We might be happily driving our Volkswagen when one fine day the guy next door bring home a brand new shiny Mercedes. Even though it doesn’t matter to us in any manner what’s the guy next door is driving, the moment he upgrades his ride, we start getting that voice from inside. About why we should follow suit and upgrade. What is that ubiquitous voice? It’s peer pressure!
Being optimistic, if approached it with a rather positive outlook, the whole idea of peer pressure is built on top of a larger pillar, competence. Whether this competing mentality is doing any good for mankind is a different question all together. For this has always been one of the topics which resulted in ravenous debates from time to time among the socialists and the capitalists. As a matter of choice, if we agree that a competing social norm is unavoidable for the overall growth of human society, we will also be behooved to accept peer pressure in a positive manner as well. Both are tightly knit together that one triggers the other. In a way, we can safely conclude that Peer pressure is one of the repercussions of the competing mentality which ornate the capitalist social norms.
Even if we identify peer pressure as something inevitable in the current sociopolitical scenario, the epidemic ill effects of it are something which we cannot discard without giving due diligence to. Even for those who tend to demonstrate exuberant behavior most of the time, peer pressure is something which agitates the emotional balance of such people as well, no matter how valorous they are. Peer pressure has this intrinsic character to pull out the negative traits of human emotions which is rather dangerous in the long run.
Let’s revisit the example we talked about before, our neighbors new Mercedes. If we end up buying a Mercedes in response to his purchase, it triggers another cycle of peer pressure in the neighbors mind. Which in no way mitigated the ill effects of peer pressure, but just averted them to the originator. Ultimately, we both will end up pulling ourselves to a bunch of stressful scenarios to fulfill the lust to stay ahead in society. And when and where it will end? Never, is the answer. As long as either one of us understands how silly it is to act upon such peer pressure, both of us will be circling uncontrollably in the vicious cycle of peer pressure like someone in space.
In a nutshell, other than the momentarily pleasure one achieves as a result of it, acts of peer pressure has nothing productive from a social standpoint in the long run. However, on the other hand one can always argue that there are businesses which are indirectly nurtured by peer pressure which in-turn helps the economy to flourish.
As long as the world tend to balance between the idealistic socialism and pragmatic capitalism, peer pressure will keep dwelling it’s space as a notorious atrocity, feeding upon the idiosyncrasies of common society.
Ever want to act past it? Don’t be a sheep and be yourself in your own ways. After all, it’s only your conscience you are answerable to. Easy is to stay unnoticed in the horde, difficult is to stand out for the virtues you hold high. The choice is all yours!
This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by 282,454+ people.
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