The downfall of human society is peer pressure; this type of pressure is like no other. As kids grow up in society they can often be heard claiming “I will never succumb to peer pressure, it is easy to say no.” Pressure is a tricky thing because of the way it can make quite literally anyone feel. It fosters a feeling of not being enough– especially throughout teenage years– and often develops into feelings of low self worth, not being cool enough, or not being present enough in the event, etc.
To have a person’s self worth or their ‘friend-ability’ determined by whether they do whatever another person says is a mind game on its own. The reason that this issue is so pivotal in teenagers specifically is due to the fact that all teens are easily-influenced – this age in development is so vital because of high levels of brain development. Mind games that manipulators play to pressure someone are an experience like no other. It is a mental workout to figure out whether some people you are surrounded by have your best interest at heart, or just want to party and have others do what they are doing. The addiction comes into the picture when the peer being pressured continues to be pressured. This not only becomes an addiction of the product they may be using but it is an addiction of saying ‘yes’ and giving in to the pressure of the manipulator. There also seems to be an energy surrounding the ability to be present in a party of teenagers if they are not all actively doing drugs or specific activities. The addictive qualities of peer pressure make life such a drag when attempting to trudge through adolescence.