Irecently came across a quote saying “don’t choose being ‘cool’ because it doesn’t mean anything outside of high school.” My knee-jerk reaction was “what a load of crap.” Middle school and high school were overwhelming when it came to peer pressure. Not only were you trying to figure yourself out, but so was everybody else and the melting pot of moldable identities did not really aid you in finding your own. However, after four years of college, I can say that college is just a more expensive version of high school, boiling over with even more peer pressure than ever before.
The source stated an indirect relationship between influence of peer pressure and age exists. As age goes up, the influence of peer pressure is not as strong. Furthermore, as you age, you don’t seem to need social acceptance as much as you did in previous teenage years. With that said, I kept thinking about the dynamic of college. With emphases being placed on partying, drinking, socializing, etc., students who do not engage in that type of behavior feel as though they are outsiders looking in on what is considered “normal.”
The pressure to conform to the general college mindset of “YOLO” and “Carpe Diem” is strong. From personal experience, when asked in class by the teacher what I did over the weekend, I replied honestly that I did homework and prepared meals for the coming week. The students, as well as the teacher, gave me a bewildered look. Furthermore, the assumption by adult figures that most college students spend their nights partying, mornings vomiting, afternoons napping and studying in between also acts as an added pressure for students that choose to break the mold and live outside of the stereotype.
I think it’s also harder to avoid peer pressure when you are at college. You are away from home, practically bound to campus activities (that is if you don’t have a car) and you are responsible for yourself (nobody’s there to police what you do like your parents were). In addition, living conditions aren’t ideal on campuses to act outside of the norm. You assimilate to the lifestyle of your roommate(s). As a result, eating disorders, unhealthy diets and other potentially harmful activities, among other things, enter your realm of experience, and you cannot get away from them as easily. For instance, in high school you had the option of going home, hopefully a safe space, where you could decompress and reevaluate choices. Last but not least, fraternities and sororities act as peer pressure central where certain attitudes and behaviors are required. Is this mutual selection process that sororities and fraternities administer to all their “potential new members” (PNMs) one that allows a person to stay true to themselves?
All in all, I feel as if peer pressure never really lessens. Eventually, as we “grow up” factors such as income and location prevent us from conforming. So the next time you make a choice, ask yourself, how much of it is really yours?
Natalie is a senior majoring in psychology and Spanish. Please send all questions and comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
