Peer Pressure and Crime

Teenagers may also get involved in crime due to negative peer pressure. Read on to know why teenagers may indulge in crime and in which criminal activities they may get drawn in. Teenage crime is not so unheard of nowadays. There can be a lot of speculation on how it all started or why is it catching on so rapidly. But the crux of the matter is that it is extremely important to curb this reality as it concerns the well-being of our future generations. Peer pressure plays a vital role as far as teenage crimes are concerned. More often than not it is a mere desire to experiment and a tendency to break regulations that the crime actually takes place. This means that the intention to commit the crime is seldom there in the teen’s mind when he engages in potentially dangerous activities. What Pushes Them Towards It? Peer pressure causes one to feel and believe that there can be nothing more important and exciting than belonging to a peer group. One thing that an adolescent feels is being left out. The fear of isolation drives them to peer groups who might be indulging in harmful activities. But a teenager’s mind is still at a developmental stage; therefore it is not really possible for him to foresee or understand how certain negative actions will harm his well-being. This is a phase when the teenager is just beginning to discover the world around and most of the times he does it through experimentation. If they lack a support system that can guide them in a positive manner, they end up engaging in activities that they perceive as exciting without really understanding their potential implications. The Most Common Crime Acts And Peer Pressure: Let us have a look at the most common crime acts in which teenagers indulge due to peer pressure. Theft or Shoplifting A negative peer group indulges in activities that might require funding. They therefore ask the new entrants to arrange the funds by stealing them from their parents or from other students. The teen also agrees to do it in the hope that he or she will be considered as a member of the peer group. Gradually this stealing exceeds the limits and goes beyond the parents’ and classmates purses and go towards stealing other people’s money and even shoplifting. Smoking and Drug Abuse Smoking as it is not a crime but when someone indulges in cocaine and marijuana it is surely illegal. Usually the trip starts with simple cigarettes but it does not take much time to veer towards illegal drug abuse. The condition spirals out of control as soon this experimentation transforms into vicious addiction and the teen then is completely in the clutches of the deadly habit. They can go to extent to fulfill their requirement of a daily dose. This might lead them to defy family values, break discipline and the laws of the land. They engage in clandestine activities thereby further sinking into the dark abyss. Illegal Sex Early sexual activity happens under peer pressure. During adolescence such an activity often leads to acute emotional damage that can escalate into dangerous proportions in the teen’s later life. They tend to think and believe that sex is commoditised pleasure and it is all right to go for even against the consent of the person that he desires to have as a partner. This can lead to rape and then again in some cases sex also becomes an addiction. Then the individual keeps on indulging in it and risks his physical health too. The only way to combat peer pressure and crime is by instilling a string value system in the kid as he is growing up. Teach him the importance of ethical moral values and lead by example. Boost his self-confidence and explain how he should uphold the rights of his individuality by not allowing others to take decisions for him. Boost his confidence so that he acquires the self-esteem to make correct and intelligent choices.