大学英语读写教程(第二版)第二册课文Peer pressure is that strong feeling you might get to do the same things as other people of your age if you want them to like you. There is nobody that wants to be talked about or laughed at. But regretfully, we can’t always do things we like and have to forget who we truly are sometimes because it becomes more important for us to fit in with those around us.
Sometimes the pressure that we feel involves unimportant things, like being considered cool or dressing fashionably. We feel like doing things others do and saying things others say. Like starting to drink, because everyone does it, or maybe one of our friends drinks. But we do it anyway because we don’t want others to think we are scared. At that moment all that seems to be important to us is what they think of us, but later we regret the choices that we have made. Peer pressure often makes people take risks and put their life on the line.
So why do we give in to negative peer pressure? Sometimes we just want to show that we are independent. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that other people around them are doing. The idea of following the crowd influences our judgment or common sense. And most of the time we give in because we don’t want to be made fun of or talked about for not doing what others are doing. We also do it because we are afraid of being refused by others or because we aren’t sure of ourselves. Also, we do it because we don’t want to lose a friendship, or we want to be liked by everyone. Those who give in to peer pressure have low self-esteem, uncertainty about themselves, and don’t have a sense of self-worth.
Sometimes peer pressure can also be good. What we have to do is to learn to tell the difference between positive and negative pressure. It is OK sometimes to follow the crowd but we have to recognize when it does us more harm than good.
