Peer Pressure
Introduction
Haley Mayo
Professor Hammett
ENG1213-23
January-May 2025
Peer Pressure
Every year there has been an increase in the amount of individuals who suffer with their mental health. The percentage of those who survive daily with poor mental health continues to increase each year. There are many issues that contribute to our health declining within mental health. One of the factors would be peer pressure. Peer pressure leads to anxiety, depression, and sometimes worse. It can be seen in mainly teenagers and young adults. There are many ways to handle peer pressure, from regaining self-esteem, gaining support, to finally believing in yourself again.
A great way to begin to step away from the pressure would be to eliminate those who cause it. In the book, The Overachievers, a senior girl is surrounded by popular students who she considers to be her friends. The author, Alexandra Robbins, states: “Taylor didn’t actively hide her intelligence from her popular friends, but when she was around them, she tried to not “act smart” as she put it. The popular students treated her differently whenever her academics came up. Taylor believed they didn’t like her as much as they would otherwise. . . (Robbins, 2006, pg.19)” That is a great example of discovering who to get rid of in an educational setting. Friends like that, students or not, will get you nowhere unless they are motivating and supporting. It is the same for family members. In the book, one boy struggles with his mother choosing every class for him and prevents extracurricular activities so he could get into medical or law school. On Page 12 the following was stated: “The idea of her assigning his college course load, as she had done throughout high school, mortified him. He couldn’t let her guilt him into fulfilling a path she had predetermined.” These types of actions tend to push an individual away instead of forward. This causes a lot of stress and unhappiness which is a way to lead to poor mental health. The only good way to prevent family from controlling or pressuring you into doing an activity is to talk to them. Explain the feeling, explain that it is too much. It is a personal decision of what is overwhelming or not.
In addition to poor support there is the problem of low self-esteem. If an individual were to be rude or bully another, it could lower the other individual's confidence. This could cause the individual to feel helpless and want to hide from the world. The feeling would create a world in their mind that shields them from reality. Ways to improve self-esteem would be to explore and demolish the negative thoughts and support systems, not taking advantage of others, taking control of needs and wants, and more. In the book, Your Pocket Self-Esteem Guide, it teaches methods and techniques to improve self-esteem and gain more confidence. Gael Lindenfield, the author, states that: “Most of us have more commitment to an activity if we can understand the purpose and philosophy behind what we are trying to do (Lindenfield, 2001, pg. 34).” Lindenfield even created a positive mnemonic based on the word. In order to remind those who are struggling how to deal with low confidence. Serving the community, helping others, becoming involved in activities is another great way to regain confidence. It creates the feeling of usefulness and helpfulness instead of being lazy and doing nothing. It could create a way to motivate and inspire life transformation. Which could lead to not feeling pressured by others and living life to the fullest.
The final method or situation to go through is how to say no. There are many people who we consider to be people pleasers who agree to everything. Saying yes takes control of their lives and prevents them from living to their full potential. According to Psychology Today, “The people-pleaser needs to please others for reasons that may include fear of rejection, insecurities, the need to be well-liked.” In 2022, about 49% of the world consider themselves to be people pleasers. That is a huge chunk, as in half the population, of the world who just agree to others’ ways. Most happen to be women. In history, men did happen to have more control and women had to protest for rights. However, these days women have respect for their abilities instead of needing to fight over personal freedom. In order to get out of the pleasing shell it is recommended to be yourself and focus on personal matters. Help others here and there, but remember what is more important. How can an individual help another if they are low on mental health? It would only make a situation worse.
The final problem is those who believe mental health issues are nonexistent. Many individuals will make up excuses and explain how it is just in an individual's head. They will try to brush it off without helping in the situation or providing comfort. Society has developed through many different situations which leads to careless behavior towards others. The US has a history of ignoring the situation and treating those who suffer with mental health terribly. Nowadays, the country is slowly but surely paying more attention to the idea of mental health. Mental health is an important health concern. It just requires a bit of attention and consideration to keep in line. It is not a bad issue unless it is not taken seriously or care of properly.
Mental health is an everyday fight for many people. Peer pressure is taking over and creating reasons to feel down. It is the way the problem is handled that matters. Just a small boost of confidence, learning how to stop agreeing, and being surrounded by positive figures will prevent negative thoughts and pressure. Overcoming pressure takes determination and patience.
Albert Camus
Albert Camus is a French author and philosopher known for writing absurdist novels. Two of his most famous happen to be The Stranger and The Plague. While The Stranger involves people having no meaning or order. The Plague covers death, but since that is one of the main points, there is a lot of peer pressure within the story due to finding a cure. Although these are not the only stories written by Camus, there are some forms of peer pressure within his novels. This is the time to dive into the mind of Camus and discover what he could probably think of peer pressure.
During Albert Camus’s younger years he became a member of the Algerian Communist Party (PCA), which was an extension to the French Communist Party before it seceded. Communism was very popular during the time. A lot of citizens of the Eastern countries were living in communist countries and under communist leaders. Which means that most individuals were pressured by others to join the party. Especially by ideas given by the government and the idea of equal cooperation. Communism means to share property and be equal with certain rights. Camus ended up joining the party because of his role models, and right after the outbreak of the Second World War. According to The Science Survey, “He had been influenced by many left-wing writers and literary figures whose works expressed anti-capitalistic sentiments.” (Gondal, Aaqib, https://thesciencesurvey.com/spotlight/2023/03/14/albert-camus-the-absurdist-mastermind-of-the-twentieth-century/). These writers inspired and influenced many individuals with their stories like any other writer would. They influenced Camus as well. Although it may not be due to complete peer pressure, he believed it was what he wanted to do.
Another part of Camus’s life that he might agree with is peer pressure from Journalism. It mentions in The Science Survey that Camus started his career as a Journalist. Which is surrounded by stories, editor and coworkers, and the community having something to say to include or change to a story. Journalism is the door to knowing everything and everyone. Peer pressure can easily be found in journalism and any type of media. Many individuals use the media to gossip and inform others. To this day, in everyday life, Journalism and the media has influenced us. It persuades many individuals into sometimes doing an activity that they would not normally do and more. Since Camus has had a career in the field it creates another opportunity for him to agree with peer pressure changing the world. He probably had written articles that pressured the citizens around him, or were pressured into writing certain pieces. For example, Aaqib Gondal in Albert Camus: The Absurdist Mastermind of the Twentieth Century states that: “By linking the works of authors such as Jean-Paul Sartre to the humanitarian crises which went undiscussed at the time, he simultaneously took his stand on the issues plaguing society whilst also keeping his readers entertained and informed.” Which provides a great example of Camus using some form of peer pressure, or influence, by writing about crises. Although the media during his time was just on paper, there is a chance he would still agree. Along with peer pressure becoming worse each day due to the media advancing each day. Which creates easier access to the pressure and influence to increase.
Another way Camus might support the idea of peer pressure is because he is an author. Although not all authors are the same there are those who read the books and expect more. Camus could also face pressure when meeting other authors, fans, or publishers who have something to say. According to the article Separating Fact from Fiction: Putting Peer Pressure in its Place,“Wanting to be liked or fit in can cause you to push boundaries — sometimes without considering the risk to your safety or any future consequences.” (Claudia Black Center, https://claudiablackcenter.com/separating-fact-from-fiction-putting-peer-pressure-in-its-place/). Due to peer pressure being about trying to fit in and go along with others, authors may want to write based on what other people believe or say. Albert Camus may not exactly write based on what other individuals say, but he may be influenced by ideas of it. Some of his novels involve topics that are sometimes influenced by peer pressure. For example, The Stranger and The Plague. While The Stranger’s main point is the meaninglessness of life and The Plague’s main point is the inevitability of death, both novels include some forms of peer pressure. It is mentioned in Sparknotes,“Like all people, Meursault has been born, will die, and will have no further importance.” In the real world, outside of the novel, many individuals believe in the saying “you only live once.” (SparkNotes, https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/stranger/section1/). Throughout the novel, and a lot of Camu’s other writings, he talks about the meaninglessness and death is coming. The point is people pressure others into believing that either life is important and meaningful, or that it is not. Camus might be pushing towards the meaningless side of it. In The Plague the doctor faces pressure by having to create a cure quickly. Throughout the story Camus writes about how death will come anyway. Death is one of the factors that creates pressure in many individual’s lives. As the doctor fights for a cure there are patients fighting for their lives, and other citizens needing the patients to return. Everyone in the town is pressured by some sort of thing. Camus is an author who influences others, like all authors do. Everyone suffers from it and inspires others in their own ways.
Overall, Albert Camus is just another journalist and author with his own beliefs and pressures. Everyone will suffer from critics and other ideas made by other individuals. Although the general idea of peer pressure may have been an excuse back then, it is different now. Everyday someone is suffering, and if Albert Camus were alive today he may understand it better. He may even consider including it into his writings. That would make a great story, much like his others.
Reflection
English Composition has been a little bit challenging, but only because I jumped into a subject with topics I have not heard about. The topics were new to me, and I learned about authors I never knew about. For example, I used Albert Camus in my recent paper. While I was researching, I did question one of my good friends to see if she heard of him. She said that she did not, and I was not too surprised. I had not heard of him and his stories until a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed reading The Plague and learning more about different styles of writing. Although it may not be a book I will pick up again, it was good for learning.
Some things I feel like I should continue to work on is expanding my vocabulary and the best way to put my sentences together. I usually type a sentence somewhere random when it comes to mind, then ctrl-z it to a spot that makes sense. Every once in a while I will take a peek in a dictionary for better wording, but that should be done all the time. Another thing I should focus on is the difference between APA and MLA. It would have made it easier if we were taught that before considering college courses. It took me a bit to adjust, but I believe that I managed to get it down. The final mistake I have made was not researching to the fullest potential. I did go back and read and searched for as much information as possible, but I feel like there could have been more to add. There is much to learn when it comes to the topics I wrote about, and I could have done more. I am still learning and getting used to a more advanced writing style. As they say, practice makes perfect.
Although I may not be the world’s best writer, all that matters is that I try, and my writing makes sense. It has expanded my knowledge and improved my writing skills. Writing is something that I enjoy, and would like to continue to improve. I may not have the opportunity to in the future, since it is not the field I am going to pursue. However, based on what I know now I could use that for any future projects. Knowledge is power after all.