how analysis of a situation and self-defence can be applied in managing both peer influence and pressure
Human beings are social beings, and therefore, friendship is a vital aspect of their lives. As a teen, the adolescence stage presents a period where friends play a crucial role in the life of a young person (Zaky 1). At such a time, a teen may create a friendship that is more cherished and constant as compare to past relations. It is because friendship offers essential features of development. Friendship offers help to youths in offering safe platforms where they can assess their identities and feel appreciated. They also tend to develop a sense of fitting in in a period where they believe no one understands them. Friendships may further enable young people to nurture and practice simple social skills applicable in the future. However, friendship also presents the challenge of peer influence and pressure. This paper will analyze how analysis of a situation and self-defence can be applied in managing both peer influence and pressure.
Friendships can present different challenges to a teen as a test of their character and beliefs. Hence, a teen will always be faced with an instance where they are cornered with engaging in a particular habit. They may choose to engage in bad habits like stealing from a store or refusing to commit the crime and become an outcast. This situation demands the use of analysis to establish the most reliable choice. In this case, one may be required to look at the consequences of each decision he or she takes. Further, one can look at the effect the consequences have on the current and future life of the individual. Looking at both the benefits and costs of each choice may help in making the right decision.
In the life of an adolescent, life is mostly learnt through experience. Even though parents and guardians may ban some practices, most teens take advantage of secret associations with their friends to explore whatever it is they had been restricted from. In other cases, teens may find themselves in awkward situations where they are unintentionally cornered to do an activity they believe is wrong like smoking or drinking alcohol. With all their friends freely giving themselves out to try the drugs, the teen may feel an overwhelming pressure being put on their back. A possible self-defense tactic would not be giving lectures on the negative impact of smoking but calling for an adult to pick them. Possibly through a text message, the teen can ask the guardian to pick them up secretly through developing a lame explanation to cover up the intended escape. This may offer the teen an opportunity in the future to explain why taking drugs is not the best option in experiencing life.
The adolescence stage offers an essential aspect of life in a young person as he or she becomes involved with peers. Apart from the negative situations that may arise from peer friendships, they also offer positive experiences. They contribute towards teens having healthy growth into adulthood. However, friendships at this level may also contribute towards problematic behaviour. In this case, teens can be helped to understand the efficiency of adopting analysis of situations to manage peer influence and using self-defense when faced by peer pressure. These two strategies can be applied simultaneously to protect the life of a teen effectively.