Peer Pressure: That Subtle, Old Cat

In today's class, the topic of the day was peer pressure.

That particular premise has always fascinated me, because in some ways, I think that we over exemplify what peer pressure looks like. Throughout my own schooling, I remember it always being explicit, direct, and purposeful. A fellow student or friend walks up to you, directly offers you something that will get you in trouble or is dangerous for your health, and you artfully rebuff them with a variety of scripted responses that we're told will always work without fail. But the one thing that we, as teachers, fail to really address is the subtlety that is real world peer pressure.

Peer pressure from my own experience has always be almost like the "long con." A friend or fellow student will, over the course of time, develop a rapport with you, almost initiating you into the peer pressure situation. It is almost as if they know that if they directly put the contraband or situation in your face, you will naturally say "No!".

The problem with this "truth behind peer pressure" is what we can do about it. The very nature of teaching is to help students find the most direct and easily understood path to solve a problem or learn a skill. Teaching peer pressure avoidance means being vague and wishywashy and  uncertain. It is impossible to prepare a student for every possible outcome of a situation, and it is therefore our job to help our students develop implicit resistances that can be utilized in a variety of situations.

But, how?