Have you given into peer pressure?

[GenesisNemesis]

If so, when? Also what's an example where you didn't give into peer pressure, if you have one? When I was a kid our school let us go to a science camp, and I was dumb enough to join in teasing another kid (because I didn't want to be teased), who ended up having a miserable time there. On the other hand when I got older, I didn't join in on a night out drinking, after a friend's birthday party. I decided to leave early.  

[c172]

Quite honestly, growing up, I didn't care about my peers, likely because they didn't care much about me. So I developed my own interests, and my own behaviors, some of which were productive, and some not. But looking back, I almost wish I had had more peer pressure, because I think a healthy amount of it guides you into adopting common interests and other norms that can serve you well.

[Jenny]

No I never really did. I kind of always just did my own thing.

[EvieTheAvocado]

Nope, never. Not even as a kid. I always told the people who tried, and failed, to pressure me that they were complete idiots. It's one of the reasons I'm such a happy fucker: I do what I want to do.

Have I always been unpopular with the idiots? Sure. Am I happier than them? Fuck yes.

[Vera]

Peers, what peers? I'm peerless

[SYZ]

[GenesisNemesis]

Yeah, I get it, I'm the only stupid one here. Okay.

[EvieTheAvocado]

Yeah, I get it, I'm the only stupid one here. Okay.

Nah. The really stupid ones are the ones who aren't aware of their stupidity. So you're good.

[no one]

One time, I jumped off a bridge because everyone else was doing it.

[jerry mcmasters]

Yeah, I get it, I'm the only stupid one here. Okay.

Make that two of us.

[skyking]

It was a mixed bag. For example, I hated cigarettes so much that when the time came as teenagers to try out a cigarette, I would look at my peers like they were completely crazy. There was no way in hell I was going to have a cigarette! On the other hand I did plenty of stupid drinking.

[Smercury44]

I think... I was the peer pressure

[Phaedrus]

I only gave into peer pressure once, from what I can remember.

I was twenty-one and a half, I was hanging out with friends at the local gay bar, and I was a non-drinker. I still hadn't touched alcohol and I usually bought a bottle of water to keep hydrated.

One of my friends wanted me to try her White Russian. I did, and it was nasty. Another friend said, "Here try mine." It was a Sex on the Beach, and I liked it much better.

I think I ordered one drink, Sex on the Beach, for myself that night, but I cannot be certain. I started drinking slowly when I did, only have one drink a night. Then it became two drinks a night, then the number of drinks increased until I became a young drunken mess like my friends.

Been into alcohol ever since. Probably might be a non-alcohol drinker today if I hadn't given into peer pressure, but who knows.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I parallel parked an aircraft carrier once. A bit of pier pressure there, wind was dead foul.

[TheGulegon]

I think... I was the peer pressure

I used to quote Devil's Advocate whenever someone would express trepidation over some future regret, or shame.
 
Can work, also, on those afraid to go against the will of the crowd.

"Who you carrying all those bricks for, anyway?"

[Dancefortwo]

Yeah, I get it, I'm the only stupid one here. Okay.

No.  I'm stupid too.  I don't want to feel along in my stupidity.  It's good to be in the company of others as stupid as myself.


No, I've never given in to peer pressure.  

[Thumpalumpacus]

My childhood was too shot-through with moving (I went to 8 schools in 12 years) for me to settle into any clique. As a result, I took a hard eye to conformity early on, around the time I started the process of abandoning my faith, twelve or thirteen.

I played on my high-school football team for 1 1/2 seasons, starting outside linebacker, back-up receiver. I didn't participate in the locker-room teasing, but it did happen to others. I didn't like the guys and they didn't really like me, but we played. My second season, the animosity got palpable on the practice field -- and I gave as well as received -- and I quit. It wasn't fun any more, and my eventual refusal to conform to the jock expectations in my high school had a lot to do with it.

Since then, I've learned that how I don't conform seems to matter more than whether or not I do, in the context of dealing with other people. If I use tact I can usually build a bridge even with those I disagree with.

Conformity has never been my strong suit.

[grympy]

Have I? Did I? How often? Do I?

Yes, I have, lots. Of course that was when I had a lot of peers, especially  at work. I'm retired now and most of  of my peers have either moved away or have died. So, not a lot lately, no.

IF you still do? Advice; don't beat yourself up about it.  Perhaps try to forgive yourself, and accept you as you are. Then what others think won't matter as much.

Because  human beings are social animals, I think it's Ok to take some notice  of what others say. Not so Ok to have your life dominated by the opinions of others. Unless of course it's your drill sergeant in basic, not a lot of choice then. (from memory) 

[OakTree500]

I was mostly a "good kid" so never did do anything overly stupid. That being said one of my parents is very "liberal" and is in the mind set of "you might as well try most things once, just make sure you're in a safe environment when you do it".

I know where i draw the line of stuff, so when I really mean "no" I don't let people talk me into things either.

[EvieTheAvocado]

I think... I was the peer pressure

That's awesome.

[EvieTheAvocado]

The biggest secret to never giving into peer pressure: don't interact with people who would do that sort of thing.

Of course, almost everybody else was forced to go to school where they were forced to mix with the nobheads, so I understand why it was more difficult for most people. Even if I'd stayed in school and became friends with the nerdy kids even they would peer pressure me about something, I guess.

But for the year in which I was actually at school ... I didn't even have nerdy friends. Literally nobody liked me. Probably because I didn't like anybody besides the teacher. And the teacher didn't like me either. So I didn't constitute the teacher's pet. She used to get annoyed that I would keep shouting out the answers in class and didn't give the other kids a chance to answer them.

As an autistic child, I was, of course, even more socially inept at age 5-6 ... (the year I went to school before my parents decided to take me out) as I hadn't really learned to cope with the social world, in my own way, yet. I'm not sure I could even cope with it today if I was forced to interact with more people than shopkeepers, lol. I drive people crazy and people drive me crazy. But I do always score a 0% agreeability trait every time I take a Big Five personality test ... which is the most scientifically accurate one. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that I can't get along with people, lol. I've taken that test several times and whilst the other traits vary slightly ... that one is always the same, lol. I always get 0% agreeability ... even when it's different variants of the test on different websites, with different questions, lol.

Maybe that's the secret, then, if you want to always avoid peer pressure: be 0% agreeable.

[Mathilda]

I only gave into peer pressure once, from what I can remember.

I was twenty-one and a half, I was hanging out with friends at the local gay bar, and I was a non-drinker. I still hadn't touched alcohol and I usually bought a bottle of water to keep hydrated.

One of my friends wanted me to try her White Russian. I did, and it was nasty. Another friend said, "Here try mine." It was a Sex on the Beach, and I liked it much better.

I think I ordered one drink, Sex on the Beach, for myself that night, but I cannot be certain. I started drinking slowly when I did, only have one drink a night. Then it became two drinks a night, then the number of drinks increased until I became a young drunken mess like my friends.

Been into alcohol ever since. Probably might be a non-alcohol drinker today if I hadn't given into peer pressure, but who knows.

[Mathilda]

I never got a chance to give in to peer pressure. So instead I rebelled against my peers when I was a teenager. I figured it was more genuine. It can't be that rebellious if you're being encouraged by your peers.

[abaris]

When I was a kid our school let us go to a science camp, and I was dumb enough to join in teasing another kid (because I didn't want to be teased), who ended up having a miserable time there. 

Similar experience at school. One of our classmates was constantly teased and I happily joined the crowd, glad to not be the one on the receiving end. Even more so because I wasn't one of the popular boys either. Kind of a jail experience, I would say in hindsight. Join the crew or be their bitch.

I remember one time when I didn't give in to peer pressure was the time of the peace movement around 1980. Quite a few of my friends wanted to demonstrate in front of the US embassy. I didn't join them, arguing we should demonstrate in front of the embassies of both super powers.

[EvieTheAvocado]

I never got a chance to give in to peer pressure. So instead I rebelled against my peers when I was a teenager. I figured it was more genuine. It can't be that rebellious if you're being encouraged by your peers.

Yeah, it makes about much sense as this: