Jack Guo, G10, RDF International School Peer pressure is the pressure generated by individuals themselves because they always hope that they are better than others. Peer pressure is everywhere. If the opportunities are limited, there will be competitions among people, not only in their ability of completing work but also in handling their stress during the competitions. Bearing too much pressure to surpass others would be harmful to themselves. Killer of friendship opportunities When people are targeting other individuals as their competitors, they would be likely to avoid exchanging their ideas with each other, because they do not want any help from their competitors and they want to prove that they are capable without any help. Limiting personal development Regarding someone as their competitor would certainly limit their development, except when they choose someone like Einstein as their target. For instance, most of the time, students would choose to surpass peers who have similar academic backgrounds. However, this may reduce their ambition to get the best score in the class or win the top prize in competitions, which can obviously limit their personal development. Overcoming peer pressure To overcome huge peer pressure, people need to stop targeting their peers as their competitors. Instead, they need to make friends with them to have more communication. In this way, they could relieve their pressure by exchanging ideas with each other. Moreover, through working together and encouraging each other in their studies, they can make progress together. For instance, I started talking to one of my former “competitors” after two years of silent competition with him. From the moment I started chatting with him, I didn’t feel a sense of competition, but felt more like a friend. After months of mutual communication, I found myself more self-disciplined and open-minded. If you find yourself struggling with surpassing your peers, stop it and just make friends with them. | 