Peer pressure can be either positive or negative, and come from internal or external sources. The document discusses four types of peer pressure: 1) internal positive pressure which is self-motivation to do something beneficial, 2) internal negative pressure which is feeling internal pressure to do something harmful to fit in, 3) external positive pressure such as friends encouraging good behaviors, and 4) external negative pressure involving outside influence to make harmful choices. Examples are provided to illustrate the different types.

1. Peer Pressure
Melissa Rodgers
© Jenison International Academy

2. What is Peer Pressure?
social pressure by members of one's peer group
to take a certain action, adopt
certain values, or otherwise
conform in order to be accepted
peer pressure. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from Dictionary.com
website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/peer pressure

3. Types of Peer Pressure
Positive vs. Negative
Internal vs. External

4. Positive and Negative
Peer Pressure
Positive Peer Pressure – pressure to
do something that IS in your best
interest
Negative Peer Pressure – pressure to
do something that IS NOT in your
best interest

5. Internal and External
Peer Pressure
Internal Peer Pressure – when the
pressure or encouraging comes from
within our selves.
External Peer Pressure – when the
pressure or encouraging comes from
someone or something else.

6. The 4 types of Peer
Pressure:
1. Internal / positive pressure
2. Internal / negative pressure
3. External / positive pressure
4. External / negative pressure

7. What type of pressure is this?
Maggie is thinking about going to a party
she knows alcohol will be at. Her other
friends convince Maggie it is not a good
idea to go to the party, because they do
not want Maggie to get into trouble.
What type of pressure is this?

8. External / Positive

9. What type of pressure is this?
A bunch of Sally’s friends are smoking in a
hidden, free from any supervision spot at
a football game. No one asks Sally to
smoke, but she really wants to try it to fit
in with the group. What type of pressure
is this?

10. Internal / Negative

11. What type of pressure is this?
Ted is with his friends at the beach.
Penny, the girl he likes pulls out a bottle
of wine and passes it to Ted. Ted passes
the wine to someone else without taking
a sip. Penny says to Ted, “Come on Ted,
we do this all the time, take a drink”.
What kind of pressure is this?

12. External / Negative

13. What type of pressure is this?
Ryan started smoking two years ago. He
heard some friends talking about going to
a cessation class (learn to stop smoking).
He checked it out online and signed up for
the class. What type of pressure is this?

14. Internal / Positive