Peer Pressure and Refusal Skills

While sitting at lunch with your friends everyone starts making fun of another friend.

How do you feel.. What do you do..

◦ Join in..◦ Step in..

Pre Game Warm up

Pressure ◦ pushed toward making a certain choice.

A Peer ◦ is someone in your own age group.

Peer Pressure ◦ someone your own age, is pushing you toward

making a certain choice

Peer Pressure & Refusal Skills

Spoken vs. Unspoken

Peer Pressure

Spoken: Something said to you directly

Unspoken: When you feel you are supposed to do something

Sometime the pressure we put on ourselves can be the hardest!!

Examples of Positive pressures

Peer  Pressure

• Honor Roll• Make a team/club• Follow the rules• Respect others• Exercise groups• Group Fitness• Running group

Examples of Negative pressures

Peer Pressure

• Underage drinking/smoking• Gossiping • Stealing• Fighting• Bullying• Ditching a friend

I ….

List of reasons it is difficult to say no…

…  want to be accepted and liked by people my own age.

… am afraid of being rejected  … don’t want to lose a friend

…  want to appear grown up

…  don’t want to be made fun of

… don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings

…  am not sure of what they really want

…  don’t know how to get out of the situation

PUT DOWN Insulting or name calling to make someone feel

bad

(Spoken Pressure)

Examples of Peer Pressure

REASONING Giving reasons to do something or why it

would be OK

(Spoken pressure)

REJECTION Threatening to leave someone out or end a

friendship

(spoken pressure)

THE HUDDLE A GROUP STANDS TOGETHER LAUGHING OR

TALKING, WITH THEIR BACKS TO OTHERS

(UNSPOKEN)

The EXAMPLEPopular kids simply buy or

wear something, because they set an example, others want to

follow (unspoken)

THE LOOK Kids who think they’re cool give a look that

means: we’re cool, and you’re not”

(Unspoken pressure)

S.T.O.P.Stay calmTell why notOffer other ideasPromptly leave

Refusal and Negotiation Skills

“Everyone’s Doing it” “You’re wrong… I’m not doing it” “A real friend would do it” “A real friend wouldn't ask”“Are you afraid?” “No, just smart”

Refusal Responses

Aggressive: Overly forceful, pushy, hostile

PassiveGiving up, giving in, backing down, easy topersuade.

Assertive Confidence and clearly stating your

intentions

A clear message depends on the way you communicate