Peer pressure is pressure exerted upon someone (or some entity) by their (or its) peers. It is most visible in (but definitely not limited to !) groups of young people, and it is the driving force behind popular culture.

It can be overt or insidious, and both forms effect anyone who interacts with others at all times they are doing so. It can be on any type of scale and is seen in the way that huge corporations exploit it for their own benefit, and in school classrooms where social rank is ordered by the clothes students wear and the way they talk.

It is also broadcast in music, in television and in film, extending the Westernisation (Americanisation?) of large groups of young people and giving them an ironic sense of nonconformity. It is the driving force behind pop culture and great evidence of this are the meaningless fads and icons produced by the industry that are eaten up by the adoring public.

What is "peer pressure"? What does it mean to you?

To me, peer pressure means "your friends trying to get you to do something you don't want to do". It means "persisting and not giving up". It means "ultimately you have to make a choice: your friends or your health".

Most people, when they hear "peer pressure", think it means "they want you to take drugs, or smoke, or drink". I must admit I am guilty of thinking that way most of the time. In reality, though, it can mean many, many more things, like performing a death defying stunt or telling them a very, very private secret.

Who are the peers? Mostly, they're your friends, but also your enemies and other people you're associated with. It is virtually anybody you know well and see regularly.

Who are the victims? Stereotypically, they are teenagers and young adults in their early twenties. Most people believe it's only semi-mature people. I disagree. It can happen at younger or older ages. Even when I was in my later primary school years, my peers were trying to convince me that drinking alcohol would make me "cool".

How do people become victims? Many ways: your friends could have tried something and wanted you to have a go, they may have done a certain thing more times than you, they may want you to be a guinea pig in an experiment of theirs. Whatever the reason, the end result is usually nasty.

How can you stop it? Isolate the people that are most likely to "attack" you. If you can steer clear of some of their activities, you should steer clear of peer pressure in general. If you still get caught up, or feel as though you might, start learning to say "no" more and more confidently to more and more people.

Peer pressure is not nice, but, thankfully, it is not what you'd call "common". It can be, has been, and will be, stopped. So, what does it mean to you?