Social pressure: what it is, characteristics and how it affects us

People want to feel that we are part of a society. We need to see our desire for relevance satisfied and, to do this, sometimes we are "forced" to do or say things that we do not really want.

Social pressure is a psychological and social phenomenon in which individuals change their behavior, attitudes and even opinions in order to like others and avoid, in this way, being rejected or marginalized.

This phenomenon can occur at any age and there are several factors that determine it, although it is especially frequent during adolescence. Next we will see what it is about and why young people are more sensitive to social pressure.

• Related article: "What is social psychology?"

What is social pressure?

Social pressure is the influence exerted by a social group that causes the person who receives it to change their attitudes, their thoughts or even their values. This influence, also known as peer pressure, although it does not have to be negative, can influence both in the person who receives it that changes even her personality and belief system in order to satisfy the the rest.

This pressure can be exercised consciously or unconsciously. When it is given intentionally, the person or group of them who do it intend to change a behavior or attitude in the people they want to influence. This type of influence usually occurs a lot when it is part of political formations or movements religious and social, exercised by the leader or the elite of these formations towards their audience or followers.

One of the moments in which more social pressure can be experienced is in youth, mostly in adolescence, although it is also present during childhood. Whether in school, high school, or even college, young people may feel that others want them to behave or think in a certain way, and fear that by not doing so they will end up being outcasts and outcasts.

In itself, social pressure is neither good nor bad, but it can be the means by which encourage negative behaviors that can spread in society, especially among the teenagers. A person may feel that he should do something or say something, even if it is totally contrary to what her value system and Ethics tells you that it is correct, to be able to fit into the group of people that they consider to be social or referents attractive.

Social pressure continues throughout our lives and conditions, in one way or another, our actions and ideas.

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Social pressure and decision making

Although it could be thought that decision-making is an individual process, the truth is that the opinions of others can condition you a lot. Decisions are often based on the influence of the reference group or social referents. Each one acts based on what they perceive of the social environment and if they consider that their actions or opinions could go against that medium, it is likely that it softens, modifies or does not directly make them nor say.

There are many studies that show how people, as gregarious animals that we are, change our opinion when we see that everyone has a point of view contrary to ours. We alter our opinion in order not to feel separated from society, avoid rejection and manage to remain in a group that is considered a reference.

One of the most important scientists in the field of study of social pressure is Salomon Asch, a psychologist known for conducting various experiments to test how peer pressure can influence the judgment of the experimental subject. In one of his experiments, Asch gathered eight participants, seven of whom were actors. The test consisted of answering a series of simple questions that had nothing to do with the research topic.

The experiment consisted of seeing what the reaction of the only real participant in the experiment was when discovered that others answered the wrong way to the simple questions that were asked. One might think that, since they were simple questions, the participant would answer them correctly every time, regardless of what the others answered. The reality was that the participant, after several attempts, preferred to answer the wrong way and be in consensus with the false participants He had to say the answer that he knew was the right one.

Social pressure is responsible for frequently acting in accordance with the social group of reference, even if it is radically opposed to what we want to do. We do this for, among other reasons, fear of rejection, desire for acceptance, lack of security and fear of criticism. Social cognition plays a fundamental role in the degree of influence of others on oneself.

Other leading psychologists like Elliot Aronson and Leon festinger also investigated this phenomenon typical of social psychology, comparing the values ​​over a group, previously issued individually and, later, in front of the social group, which varied remarkably.

• Related article: "Decision making: what is it, phases and parts of the brain involved"

Social pressure during adolescence

The life period in which more social pressure is received is adolescence. It is natural during this phase to want others to like you, having a desire to fit in with a very intense group. For this reason, friends and classmates often exert great pressure at these ages. Young people feel the need to be part of a group, be it a group of friends or something with a more influential team culture, such as a sports team, a marching band, a sports club swimming…

From the age of 12, young people are forming their first opinions about the way the world works. His first points of view appear on certain subjects, political positions and various ideas. Thought evolves throughout adolescence. As a result, young people can have very different opinions, something that makes it difficult for them to coalesce. This occurs at the same time that the need for belonging increases, which generates conflict, causing the teens have to choose between speaking their genuine opinions or changing them to fit, the latter being the more habitual.

In other words, most teens, Out of fear of being rejected, he puts aside his personal convictions in exchange for belonging to a certain social group. Although this situation is not permanent, because over time people end up respecting their ideology, during the adolescence the craving for acceptance is so intense that it causes them to hide any opinion that they believe endangers their acceptance Social.

It should be said that there are many occasions in which young people fully embrace the ideals of the group and end up feeling good about it. This is neither negative nor positive, since social influence alone does not imply harm, only that it makes it difficult for a person to be totally genuine. In fact, within the family nucleus, parents and older siblings also exert their influence, one that is mostly positive and shapes the personality and belief system of the Teen.

Social pressure is negative when its influence causes harmful behaviors to be carried out for the individual. Among these behaviors we would find all those that harm your health, put your work and academic performance at risk or confront you with your family, such as drug use, criminal activities, self-harm, risky behavior, lack of respect for Adults.

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Causes

The causes of social pressure They tend to have more relationship with the person influenced than with the social group that exercises it. An important factor behind this is the need to belong to a social group, a necessity very elevated during adolescence and which explains why at these ages young people are so influenceable. In adulthood, in addition to having a certain desire to belong to a social group, one of the factors that most explains social pressure would be the fear of rejection.

Human beings have a life very defined by social patterns. The idea is widespread in most cultures that, once a certain age is reached, certain social demands have not been met you begin to feel anguish when you believe that you are not socially valid. Examples are not having married before a certain age or not having children. Many people feel rejected when they see that they are not complying with what is socially established.

It is this fear of being left behind, coupled with the social pressure exerted by people of their age and significant others such as parents or siblings, makes one despair and behave thinking more of the opinion of others than of their wishes. People who feel this way do everything possible to find a partner and have children, not thinking about whether they want to or not, but out of fear of not being a social outcast. Social pressure pushes them to marry and form a family forcibly, for the simple fact that they believe is what society expects of them and, if they do not comply, they are not worth it.

Other causes that could explain how social pressure comes to have so much power in certain people are:

• Personal insecurity
• Low selfsteem
• Conflicts with personality
• Physical appearance deficiencies
• Feeling of inferiority
• Lack of motivations
• Need for recognition
• Difficulty relating
• Feeling of social rejection
• Lack of affection

If one of these factors that we have just mentioned occurs, the social pressure that the individual feels more than a social problem it is a health problem. It is advisable to go to a psychologist to work on these aspects, help her to acquire greater self-esteem, which is not shared excessively with others and understand that the important thing is that he or she is the owner of his life, doing what he considers best for himself.