Peer Pressure at School/Work

[SRSAutistic]

In 7th grade (Year 8), I was peer pressured by 2 students to run away from class. In high school (secondary school), I did not experience peer pressure.

Have you ever experienced peer pressure at school or work?

 

[VictorR]

I always believe in doing the right thing. Unfortunately, in the world of work, doing the right thing doesn't always align with what your colleagues or boss might want, and doing so can lead to ostracization, even if you were following procedure.

 

[Fino]

I've been peer pressured to curse, insult people, do drugs, hit on somebody, have sex, eat things that shouldn't be eaten, drink, fight--and I did all of them.

 

[Thinx]

I put no, because although I suppose on reflection I have been pressured, I have just gone on with the way I thought was best. Peer pressure doesnt convince me to do something. Only a reasoned and sensible argument would.

Probably I would if possible put pressure on the person's trying to do it, as there may often be others who don't like their ideas or methods. Tactfully pointing out their behaviours to a senior manager sometimes worked well for me, as a middle manager.

Other times I just withdrew from them and did what I felt was best. People who do this kind of thing at school or work are often not very competent in my experience. I ignored or out maneuvered them.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Peer pressure is ever present throughout life,...it just takes different forms. Peer pressure takes place whenever we are part of a group or society,...sometimes it's obvious and in-your-face,...other times its more passive and in the background.

When you're young and don't have a good sense of yourself,...and you have your insecurities,...it's really easy to be pressured into doing things that you might not otherwise do. Most people are subject to tribalistic behaviors and social norms,...whatever this entails. Even my life, the house in the suburbs,...a home owners association (HOA) dictating how your house and yard should present,...it's all about being in a society with rules, expectations, and behavior standards,...a form of peer pressure. You fool yourself into thinking that you are "free" and "independent", that you are your own person,...but at some level, you really aren't.

 

[Bolletje]

My peer pressure at work mostly consisted of being pressured into acting like the insane workload and responsibilities we got were normal. It was sort of group gaslighting. It was normal to have a crying breakdown, that was seen as a rite of passage. But do the meltdown in our tiny coat room so no one else can see it. Everyone had to act like we weren’t overwhelmed. It was sort of an _if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen_ attitude. I complained about the work load to our bosses and no one backed me up. I was branded weak and quickly was told to find a new job.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Because the decisions I made in Pharma had the potential to impact people's health, I had no problem seeing expensive lots of drugs scrapped rather than giving in to pressure to justify releasing those that were substandard in quality, purity or safety.

 

[AutisticMilly]

I wasn't peer-pressured into anything like doing drugs or drinking. But, I was pressured into having different morals or doing things that I thought weren't right in order to maintain friendships. I'm still trying to navigate the fact that you have to do what you think is right and to not just agree with people to fit into a mold.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I was able to resist peer pressure if it was presented to me as well as the pressure to do whatever everyone else was doing in high school and I actually liked myself for the ability to resist peer pressure and for choosing to be different in the way that I was an actual individual instead of a follower. But my school and all the adults thought that me enjoying not being like everyone else was wrong and tried to force me to basically not be myself which contradicted with them always telling me to be myself when I tried to make friends.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I was able to resist peer pressure if it was presented to me as well as the pressure to do whatever everyone else was doing in high school and I actually liked myself for the ability to resist peer pressure and for choosing to be different in the way that I was an actual individual instead of a follower. But my school and all the adults thought that me enjoying not being like everyone else was wrong and tried to force me to basically not be myself which contradicted with them always telling me to be myself when I tried to make friends.

Bravo. I grew up in the 50s when there was a lot of propaganda to not only conform to gender roles, but to be an unthinking citizen, gullible to authority. The things we were told to value were constrained and revolved around organized sports and NT social values.

I remained quite resistant to authority, and decided what to adopt or not and people thought me a little strange. I never felt like I conformed to the standard role I was told a male should follow. In a way I have no regrets that I turned out the way I am.

 

[Owliet]

In school I often gave into peer pressure because I wanted to be accepted and was often of the thought that if I did something, then I wouldn’t be bullied. You can perhaps imagine how much that worked. In school, I have done things that I’m not proud of and wish I had been strong enough to just be Me.

At university, I had Learnt not to give into peer pressure, but in first year I wasn’t really interacting with my peers to be on that level.

at work, no. I often did the right things to the point that I guess was annoying for my boss as I would Flag concerns or would Often avoid former colleagues who formed cliques often preferred to spend time in my classroom or the side office — some of them were worse than the kids in that type of maturity. Did one try to bully me, yes, and I reported her for it but it did nothing. I mean, what can you do?