Why do we blame peer pressure as the cause of bad choices we make?

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   ReneeDC1979posted 12 years ago

   Why do we blame peer pressure as the cause of bad choices we make?
   
   I find that we take the easy road and blame the situation, or the people around us for making bad decisions.  We do not want to take responsibility for our actions - good, bad or indifferent.

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   ZIa Ahmed khanposted 12 years ago

   This is human nature. In general person do not want to accept his own mistakes. He wants to look strong. But accepting mistake is the symbol of strength rather than weakness. People has rather wrong understanding that if he accept his mistake he look weak. This is sole reason we blame others for our mistake.

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      ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your comment Zla Ahmed khan

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   Paul Kuehnposted 12 years ago

   Renee, I think you have answered this question very well by stating that people don't want to take responsibility for their actions.  If people did take responsibility for their actions, they wouldn't always feel so good about themselves.  Isn't the name of the game today for everyone to always want to feel good about themselves regardless of their actions?

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      ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Paul Kuehn and yes I think that is the name of the game - so I don't know why more people don't make good choices.

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   peeplesposted 12 years ago

   I find it odd how we seperate out peer pressure and brain washing. There is a very fine line. Yet when a drug addict (Charles Manson) tells a bunch of other drug addicts to go kill people it is said to be brainwashing. Yet when a drug addict sells a person drugs then it is simply peer pressure. I really don't get it either way. After all we have a brain and as long as we are capable of using it then we should be held responsible for our own actions without placing blame on others.

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      ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you peeples for your comment.  As far as the drug issue goes, I think alot of other things much deeper than peer pressure come into play.

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   Thundermamaposted 12 years ago

   Rather then a lack of personal responsibility I like to to look at it from a sociological perspective. As human beings we tend to to take on the rules of the social groups we belong to. The more we see our peers engaging in a behaviour the more we think it's okay. It's a about a sense of belonging and mirrored behaviour. It goes a lot deeper then peer pressure.
   
   The bottom line is that if you want to make good decisions pick a good peer group to hang out with.

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      ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Thundermama - good points

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   samsons1posted 12 years ago

   What an interesting observation, and as stated before-- I think you have hit on the answer very well yourself Renee.  It is the same from the lowest to the highest level of our society and seems to be the universal trend today.  Because of man's own weakness to accept responsibility at any level on anything negative.  By placing the blame on others we somehow personally feel we are leaving our own 'plate' clean and spotless before others and the world, untainted because of our own lack of knowledge, wrongful decision making or otherwise honesty...

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      ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you samsons1 for your comment.

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   jose7polancoposted 12 years ago

   Because we fell more that its not our fault alone but other people also share some guilt. May be true, may be not.

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      ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      thank you jose7polanco

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   pstraubie48posted 12 years ago

   For adults I think there is no reason to blame others for our poor choices. For children it is not quite so cut and dried. They have not had the experience yet to help them ward off assaults physical and verbal that come their way. It is our job as the adults in their lives to shore them up with self confidence and courage so they can defray the pressure.

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      ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Good point pstraubie48.  So what happens when the parents aren't arond - who do the kids look up to?

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   whittwritesposted 12 years ago

   i agree with your answer.  Blaming your peers for your bad choices is the easy way of passing the blame away from you and onto some one else.

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      ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you whittwrites for your comment.

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    Angela Kaneposted 12 years ago

    Because we do not want to take responsibility for our actions. I understand peer pressure when you are a preteen or teen, but once you become an adult, I don't think you can no longer blame peer pressure.

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       ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks Angela Kane for your comment.

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    Beata Stasakposted 12 years ago

    It is hard to make decisions but it is even harder to live with our choices and if we can find someone or something (even bad weather:) to blame for it, we will...

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       ReneeDC1979posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Very well said Beata Stasak.  Makes me think of people saying "The devil made me do it!"

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    Express10posted 12 years ago

    As an adult, I never blame peer pressure as the cause of my bad choices. I surely did this when I was in high school and below, but I have learned this behavior can tick people off or push them away. Some people just don't want to do the work required when they take responsibility. To admit we've done something wrong means we have to do the work to correct or resolve the situation, in addition to apologizing. Frequently, people don't want to do any of this and they eventually build barriers that eventually keep others from fully engaging with them whether on a personal, familial, or professional level. When we think about it, we see the end result and it's better to nip it in the bud.

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