Vocabulary
suppress - stłumić
peer group pressure - presja grupy rówieśniczej
pursuit - pogoń, dążenie
laugh at somebody - śmiać się z kogoś, wyśmiewać kogoś
give up - poddać się
cease - przerwać, zaprzestać, przestać
abide by something - przestrzegać czegoś, stosować się do czegoś, respektować coś
look down on somebody - patrzeć na kogoś z góry, pogardzać kimś
peers - rówieśnicy
encourage - zachęcać
engage in something - angażować się w coś
mates - kumple
ways of conduct - sposoby postępowania
in accordance with - zgodnie z
hazardous - niebezpieczny
conform to something - dostosowywać się do czegoś, przestrzegać czegoś
autonomous - niezależny (o państwie, osobie)
high expectations - wysokie oczekiwania
to meet the expectations - aby sprostać oczekiwaniom
discourage - odwodzić (od czegoś), zniechęcać
failure - porażka, niepowodzenie (brak sukcesu)
keep up with - być na bieżąco
self-esteem - poczucie własnej wartości
4b
The average group may suppress a person's unique talents.
The peer group may exert pressure on its individual members to make them drop hobbies or pursuits that in the group's opinion, are not suitable for them. A schoolboy who is exceptionally good at singing or dancing is likely to be laughed at by his mates, as these abilities are usually seen as suitable only for girls. It is likely that the boy will give up the activities and cease to develop his unique skills.
You need to sacrifice your individuality.
A group often makes its members abide by some unwritten rules and follow certain patterns of behaviour. It is expected that a person will act in a way that his or her peers approve of. All other ways of conduct are looked down on. If one wants to feel comfortable with his peers, he needs to behave the way they consider right, which is not always in accordance with his views and preferences.
Sometimes people encourage their peers to do things, which may be harmful to them. Such dangerous behaviours are for example taking drugs and drinking alcohol and one of the most commonly given reasons for which the young engage in them is the fact that others do it as well.
Peer pressure encourages unnecessary risk taking.
Peer pressure often drives individuals to undertake some dangerous activities or actions in order to prove their qualities to their mates. Some people may want to prove their courage in front of the group by driving extremely fast, breaking the law, going to dangerous places, all of which are hazardous actions which may have serious consequences.
Making independent decisions in the future may get difficult.
If someone is too dependent on other people's opinions and always conforms to mates' views, it may prove difficult for the person to make autonomous decisions in the future. Lack of self-confidence and trust in their own abilities, may make it very difficult for such people to cope with situations in which independent decision-making is required.
High expectations of the group put its members under a lot of stress.
Peer pressure causes a lot of stress and thus may discourage people from taking actions. It may happen if the young are unable to meet the expectations of their mates or fail to keep up with their fellows' achievements. Such failure may lead to frustration and low self-esteem.
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