Every Adolescent Faces Peer Pressure example essay topic

Heredity traits that I think have shaped me into the person I today come mostly from my maternal side. I inherited my mothers easy-going and outgoing personalty. Both of my parents are very level headed and very realistic. I am inherited both of those traits also.

My father always went out of his way to make people feel comfortable, I inherited some of that trait because I like to make people feel comfortable in awkward or new environments. Environmental factors that have influenced my development as a person have shaped my outlook on life and my beliefs. I have been brought up in neighborhoods where strong family structure, family values, and morals are very important. The reason I want to make sure I marry someone who I feel will I support and want to spend the rest of my life with is because of the way I was brought up. The environment I was brought up in frowned on divorce. I will use the same methods as my parents used to raise me to an extent.

I will teach and preach the same things that my parents taught me, for example my parents always preached the importance and the value of succeeding in academics and in athletics. They also thought me that I must respect myself before I can respect others, this had a huge affect on the person I have become. The things I will change in the way I raise my children are that I will try not to raise my voice at my children very often and I will use as much as positive reinforcement as possible. Peer pressure and criticism were emotional challenges which were the hardest for me to cope with throughout my adolescence. Every adolescent faces peer pressure in positive or negative ways.

Unfortunately most peer pressure is negative, for example almost every person who smokes started smoking because of peer pressure. Peer pressure was hard for me to cope with because I hated watching my close friends fall victims to negative peer pressure, and it was also hard for me to be critiqued for not giving into peer pressure. The strong person who doesnt fall victim to peer pressure is the person who people like to make fun of for being different. Physical changes that have made the biggest impact in my life to this date have been positive and negative. I was always a head taller than everyone in my class when I was younger.

This was positive for me because I would excel and have a great advantage in athletics. I loved having the advantage and I liked everyone being scared of playing against me. This physical change started to get negative when I was a Sophomore. Everyone started to catch up to me in height and size.

I didnt like it because everyone wanted to challenge me so they could say they beat me after years of me beating them. I didnt like the constant competition, because everyone wanted to say Vinnie isnt that big anymore. That had a depressing affect on me. I dont think there are any special problems adolescents face today as opposed to our parents.

I think that adolescents toady just face them allot sooner that our parents did. Problems having to do with sex and drugs modern adolescents face when they are in as early as 7th or 8th grade. Our parents didnt face these problems until they were most likely in college. the problems today are very similar, they only thing that is different is how the media displays sex and drugs to children at a very young age. Children are aware of these issues to early. The other difference form our parents generation is the availability of drugs and alcohol, it is to easy for modern day teens to get their hands on drugs. If their wasnt such easy access to these drugs children wouldnt face as much peer pressure or chances to experiment.

Ego-protecting behaviors which I use the most often are Sublimation, Procrastination, and rationalization. I use sublimation when I have allot of negative energy and I try to find ways to use it positively. For example if I had a horrible day at school I will go to the gym and work off all that negative energy by lifting weights. This will effect my me in a positive way. I use procrastination when I have to do something and I am either not sure how to do it or I fear doing it. For example if I have to write a paper for class I dont understand the question or the material I will put off doing the assignment.

I use rationalization when I make excuses or false reasons for doing or not doing things so I will feel better about it. For example if I got an answer wrong on a test I would make excuses that The teacher never taught that material, when if I would of studied I would of answered correctly. I use these defense mechanisms to make my self feel better about certain things I go through or to protect myself from feeling like I failed. What Abraham Maslow meant when he said that The healthiest of all personality belongs to the self-actualizing person he meant that these being people lead happier and healthier lives because they are in touch with themselves and the world around them. Self-actualizing people except reality.

They dont make excuses. Three characteristics of a self-actualizing person that are important to me are ones that I most want to be an example of. Find fresh enjoyment in activities that you have experienced many times before; this is important to me because I dont want to become bored with my everyday life. I want to enjoy every aspect and every minute of life. Identify with humanity in a positive way; I want to see the good in a every person and there positive qualities, this would give people greater respect for me and make me happier. Refuse to bend to the social pressures that rule most peoples lives; this characteristic is one that I most want to demonstrate but at the same time is the hardest for me to be an example of.

It is easy to get caught up in social pressures but if I didnt I would be more of my own person. Some of my fears and frustrations that occupy my life most are the fear of not making people who care about me proud of me and the feeling that I cant get everything I want to done in a day. I feel very often that there isnt enough time to do thing I need to do. Some of my strengths are the ability to be who I am no matter what company I am in. Another strength of mine is my ability to to understand and listen to people. These behaviors I feel for the most part are positive I think all of these behaviors keep me on track and make me strive to be a better person.

I think I acquired these behaviors from the way I was brought up. These behaviors most likely came to me from example of people I idolized in my life. I am more important to me than other people for the most part, the exception is if it is a matter of life or death. I put family issues and matters before my own well being, but for the most part I do what is best for me and hope I am making the right decision..