"Fitting into a Box"

Is it mandatory to follow what everyone else does? Would one lose respect if he or she does not follow the crowd?

The answer is yes, unfortunately! There are people in our society who try to impose their lifestyle on others that is called peer pressure. Peer pressure is a type of social pressure that forces one to do the things he or she does not wish to do, but for the sake of our so-called society they do. The main causes of peer pressures are low self-esteem and fear of rejection. Peer pressure is mostly seen among young generation. For example, youngsters are likely to experiment with things in order to compete with mates and to look cool in front of them. Peer pressure has some positive effects too like- encouraging friends to participate in sports, which help them gain both emotional and social skills. However, People are usually attracted to negative things more so which is why they are prone to adapting bad things first.

Let’s talk about negative side effects of peer pressure. Many people are losing their own happiness and identities out of peer pressure such as- some people attempt to do things just to impress others. This common scenario is viewed in high society of Bangladesh. Some people from elite class buy expensive things just to brag about their wealth and maintain with society. According to them if they do not use expensive products they will not be able to fit in the society. Another incident is familiar among youth. Youngsters often intend to try drugs and alcohol to tell their friends how dope they are! Some people also think they will be ashamed to live happily because others will condemn them if they do not have high grades and money. As a result, peer pressure causes mental distress; it brings turmoil in life.

Peer pressure in the workplace is another circumstance that frequently occurs. We can't go out of the box for peer pressure; resulting that the norm is going by society and the customary law to fall in the group for professions too. It is easily accessible to everyone who is a doctor or an engineer or a lawyer rather than an artist or a musician because the bar is set that the artists end up with less income rather than a hyped profession like a doctor or an engineer.                    

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are- Everyday power.

We should always surround ourselves with people who uplift our soul rather than belittling us for the way we lead our lives. It’s never right to take decisions based on people’s preferences that do not have to deal with the consequences. We should start listening to our heart in order to have a peaceful mind.