Should The Teenage Years Still Be Referred To As The Wonder Years Essay, Research Paper

????????? ?Go on.? ?Everybody?s doing

it.? ?It?s only one drink.? ?You?re such a loser.? ????????? I didn?t know what to do. All these

voices were repeating themselves over and over in my head. I didn?t want to

give into them because I knew what I was doing was wrong. I didn?t want

everyone to think I was scared but what if my parents found out. Why was I

here? Are these people really my friends if they are really doing this to me?

These were the vital questions that I didn?t know the answers to. I knew in my

heart it was wrong but I gave in. ????????? This is usually the typical outcome of

a scene like this. It is called peer pressure. It can be disguised in many

different forms. In this essay I am going to look at different ways in which

teenagers can be influenced by peer pressure. ????????? Many teenagers experiment with

cigarettes, drugs or alcohol. It is likely that they take their first

cigarette, drink or drug because of pressure from peers or friends. ????????? The influence of friends who smoke is

the main reason teenagers start, although you are also more likely to start if

your parents do. Cigarettes, like alcohol, are an acquired taste but over eight

per cent of people who smoke in their teens become permanently hooked. ????????? Often adolescents drink to feel less

uncomfortable and more relaxed with friends and peers and because they are

encouraged to do so by other teenagers. Regular excessive drinking can lead to

poor school work, social and emotional problems, the use of other drugs and

sometimes even suicide, ????????? ?The main difference between alcohol or cigarettes and other drugs

is that once you are over a certain age you can legally buy alcohol and

cigarettes. The use of cannabis, Ecstasy, Heroin, Cocaine, LSD and amphetamines

is illegal at any age. Although drugs are easy to get hold of nowadays, and

many people think they should be legalised, taking them involves breaking the

law. If you are caught, you might be prosecuted. If you are found in possession

of more than a small quantity, you risk more serious charges of ?possession

with intent to supply?, or dealing. ????????? Another issue that teenagers are faced

with and usually try to avoid is crime. People aged between ten and twenty-one

commit half of all crimes. Ninety per cent of these involve breaking into

buildings, theft of property or other vandalism. Most people get involved in

crimes such as shoplifting, joyriding, vandalism or arson just for the thrill

of getting away with it. Teenagers often steal things they don?t even want or

need. Usually these crimes are committed without thought or planning, and

repeated only occasionally for a period of a few months, until the excitement

begins to wear off. For some teenagers shoplifting or stealing cars begins as a

bit of fun but it can get out of hand and crime can become a habit. Teenage boys

are at more risk of getting into trouble than girls, however the amount of ?girl

gangs? committing crimes is becoming more and more common. In 1957 girls

accounted for only one crime in eleven. These days girls commit more than one

in four of all juvenile crimes. Friends often encourage each other to go much

further than anyone would alone; when you are in a crowd, it is easier to get

carried away. ????????? Breaking the law might be common

amongst adolescents, but it is certainly not without risk. People get caught! If

you do commit crime, it is likely that you will get in trouble with the police sooner

or later. This can cause trouble when applying for a job or a university and

can affect your chances of getting in. ????????? If the risks are so high, then why do

people do it? Perhaps it is because they are bored or short of money but it is

more likely that it is done just for the thrill of getting away with it. Teenagers

sometimes think of it as a way of testing how much you can get away with. If it

is found to be addictive, particularly if tempted to do it alone, it may be a

sign of depression or unhappiness. ????????? Some adolescents especially females

become so concerned about weight control that they take drastic and dangerous

measures to remain thin. Some overeat and then force themselves to vomit to

avoid gaining weight. This pattern is associated with an eating disorder called

bulimia. Another eating disorder is called anorexia nervosa. This is when young

women actually starve themselves to keep their weight down. Adolescents with

eating disorders have an extremely disturbed body image. They see themselves as

?fat? when they are really underweight. Bulimia ????? and anorexia nervosa are rare before the age of ten. Girls often

turn to bulimia and anorexia nervosa because they believe it will make them

happier, more successful and more popular. ????????? Topics that have been mentioned to try

to explain why young people turn to eating disorders include social pressure on

girls to be slim, stress effects on the functioning of brain centres controlling

eating, expression of underlying personality disorder or a reaction to a

conflict-ridden family situation. ????????? Treatment given to anorexia nervosa or

bulimia includes counselling, psychotherapy or drugs. The main symptoms linked with

eating disorders are severe weight loss, low blood pressure and a slow heart

beat. Many anorexics isolate themselves. ????????? Many teenagers, at some stage in their

lives, come across the problem of bullying. This is the constant nit picking,

fault finding and criticism of a trivial nature. Most bullying is traceable to

toe person ? male or female. Bullying is not a gender issue. Each year between

ten and twelve children kill themselves in the UK because they are being

bullied at school and no one in authority is doing anything to tackle the

bullying. Failure by a school to implement an effective and active

anti-bullying policy in a breech in duty of care. ????????? ?He who passively accepts evil is as

much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate It.? ? Martin Luther King. Here

is the bully?s point of view ? ????????? I have never actually set out to bully

someone myself. It usually comes about when someone is being annoyed and

provides an amusing reaction that I begin to join in. at the time you do not

see it as bullying, although you may have doubts later. I do not think there is

anyone at school who has not bullied someone in one way or another. A victim?s

point of view ? ????????? When I was at primary school I got

picked on non-stop for two years. No one talked to me. I hadn?t done anything

to get blamed for; I still do not know the reason I got picked on. I wasn?t wealthier

or poorer or a different race. ????????? Friends and peers can place a lot of

importance on having a girlfriend or boyfriend. It?s tough if you are the only

one in your group without a partner, especially when dating is often seen as a

way of confirming your attractiveness to yourself and those around you. Some people

are just not interested in having a relationship until they are older; others

might not want, or be allowed, to have a boyfriend or girlfriend for religious

or cultural reasons. Whatever your reasons are for not dating, you might find

that your peers tease or put pressure on you. Some young people believe that

having a sexual relationship will make them more grown up. However, maturity is

not about when you start having sex. It is about waiting for the right time and

the right person, and making sure it does not all end in tears. ????????? Some people end up having sex not

because it is what they really want, but because they feel unable to resist

pressure from their partners. People sometimes confuse sex with affection and

hope that agreeing to sex will lead to more commitment from their partner, or

will make them feel loved. Unfortunately this is not always the case. ????????? Peer pressure can often mean that your

needs and wishes are ignored, and when that happens life can become more

difficult to cope with. Sometimes it can lead to depression. Depression can

make people feel bad-tempered, moody and worried, and they may develop other

symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches. Some sufferers feel short of energy

and want to sleep all the time; others will have difficulty in sleeping and

become very tired. Tiredness, lack of interest and difficulty in concentrating

can affect schoolwork. Depressed people often lose interest in hobbies and activities

and feel cut off from the people around them. They feel worthless and believe

they have no power to change the situation they are in. some young people turn

to drug or alcohol abuse, sleeping around, crime, skipping school or running

away from home. These can all be ways of distracting themselves from their

feelings. ????????? Depression has to be taken seriously

and sufferers need to seek immediate help. Counselling, psychotherapy or

sometimes medication can make recovery quicker and easier. ????????? An issue that applies to nearly all of

us is whether to wear your schoolbag on one shoulder or two. The results of a

survey which I carried out with ten fourth year pupils states that eight out of

ten people wear their schoolbag on one shoulder. Six of these people were

influenced by peers. Recent research shows that wearing your schoolbag on one

shoulder can be damaging to your spine, so why do it? Results of my survey ?(all answers are out of ten) ? Ten people thought that teenagers are put

under unnecessary stress and pressure from parents and teachers at school. ? Reasons for this were ? ?coursework?, ?homework?,

?exams?, ?to be a model child?, ?to do well?, ?not to do stupid things?. ? Eight people said that they have never been

pressurised into smoking, drinking or taking drugs. The remaining two said that

they have. Their friends influenced them. ? Seven people have tried smoking, nine have

tried drinking and two have tried drugs. ? Reasons for trying the above were ? ?to see

what it was like?, ?so they wouldn?t get laughed at?, ?because they were

depressed?, ?why not?? Seven

people said that they had pressurised someone into doing something. ????????? At

adolescence, peer relations expand to occupy a particularly central role in a

young person?s life. New types and levels of peer relationships emerge. Peers

typically replace the family as the centre of a young person?s socialising and

leisure activities. Teenagers have multiple peer relationships, and they

confront multiple ?peer cultures? that have remarkably different normals and

value systems. The adult perception of peers as having one culture or a

dangerous influence, is inaccurate. More often than not, peers reinforce family

values, but they have the potential to encourage problem behaviours as well.

Although the negative peer influence is over-emphasised, more can be done to

help teenagers experience the family and the peer group as mutually

constructive environments. ?????????