Get Inspired Not Influenced

Peer Pressure is ubiquitous. It is something that we face everywhere - in school, college, workplace etc. Before getting into how to handle it, let's revisit the basics.

What is Peer Pressure?

Peer Pressure is the direct effect or influence of the skills, knowledge, attitude, values, and behavior of the peers on an individual. A peer is someone who is at our level. For instance, students in a class, colleagues in an office etc. are all peers. Human instincts suggest that since we are par with our peers, we try to do what our peers can do by conforming to the influences in order to gain admiration, respect and likability among our peers. However, when we lack the capability to conform to the standards of our peers, then the peer pressure starts building.

We have a strong desire to fit in with our peers

Once the peer pressure starts building, we can carve our path in two different directions. One, we succumb to the pressure and find alternatives. Two, we get inspired, learn, and cope up with the pressure. The former route is nothing but a forgone opportunity to learn, whereas the latter can bring out the best in us and help us grow and be a better version of ourselves.

When I made it through the admission process of the Indian School of Business, one of the premiere B-schools of India, I had a sense of achievement within me. However, on the first day when I joined the school and met my 3 quaddies (people who share the housing/ quad with me), I realized that everybody here is a high achiever. Sharing the quad with an international level Badminton player, a startup founder, and an investment banker turned ruling party's campaign manager, I was humbled to the core. In this peer group, I was an outlier. Taking the peer pressure in my stride, I saw this as an opportunity to learn. Today, four months down that road, I see a constructive change in my knowledge, perspective, and attitude.

Get Inspired and NOT influenced by peer pressure